By C1 Staff
NEW YORK – Inmates at a Queens facility will receive training on how to administer naloxone, an antidote for heroin overdoses.
The Auburn Pub reports that the training will be offered at the all-male, medium-security Queensboro Correctional Facility as part of a pilot Opioid Overdose Prevention program.
Naloxone is administered via nasal spray and temporarily blocks the effects of opiates, allowing an overdose patient to breathe. It has no effect on a patient who has not overdosed on heroin.
The program will educate inmates about the dangers of opiate use and what to do if they suspect someone has overdosed on heroin. They will also be taught about the state’s Good Samaritan Law, which shields those who seek help for a person who has overdosed from prosecution.
All who complete the program will receive a naloxone kit when released from prison.
The New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision expects to expand the program to all of the state’s 54 prisons.