Penn. Residents Learn CPR, Narcan Administration

Reading Eagle, Pa.

Sept. 14—Jeff Knopf has the long perspective on the opioid crisis.

When he started in emergency services about 30 years ago, the paramedic said ambulance crews would see about one heroin overdose a month.

In 2018, it's a much different story.

"I can tell you we don't go one 24-hour shift without having an opioid overdose," said Knopf, director of EMS for the Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service. "That's crazy. That's scary, and that's really what's happening out there."

The opioid crisis was the topic of the evening Thursday at St. Ignatius Loyola Regional School in Spring Township, where about 50 people learned about how to respond to an overdose.

The people who attended the event learned all about the signs of an overdose, and they received a free Narcan kit. Narcan is the brand name for the overdose-reversing drug naloxone.

The church's addiction awareness ministry team hosted the event with the Council on Chemical Abuse, the Berks Opioid Coalition and the Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service.

"We're just trying to help people understand that it is a disease, and we're here to help," said Mary Ann Angelo, a member of the church's addiction awareness ministry.

As the opioid crisis has intensified, community education has become even more important, said Brian Kammerer, drug and alcohol program specialist at the Council on Chemical Abuse.

"People are literally learning how to save a life tonight through Narcan and hands-only CPR," he said. "We're not helpless. We can fight back and help keep someone alive long enough to find treatment and find help."

Amy Muzopappa, president of the Boyertown Lions Community Ambulance Service, provided training on hands-only CPR and Narcan.

"I think it's really important that people know CPR," she said. "We can bring the Narcan, but we can't do anything if CPR hasn't been initiated early enough. If you know CPR, you can save someone anytime, anywhere because you have the power in your hands."

Knopf said that people need to proceed with caution when approaching someone who may be overdosing. Wearing gloves and looking out for needles or other drug paraphernalia are important steps to take.

Narcan provides temporary relief from an overdose, but that patient will need to go to the hospital for more attention, Knopf added.

Carmen Albrecht of Mount Penn said that she walked away from the event with important information about how to care for someone who is overdosing.

"It would be a big challenge if I had to do something like this, but this training will help me be more confident and not to be scared to help that person," she said. "I think everyone should be learning how to do this because of what's going on."