Carter Huntley and Julia Sexton, left, go over their plans for Narcan Training Day with Sam Halajian, right. In the background, Glenn Dorman, a substance abuse counselor, stocks the table with naloxone kits at Saratoga Community Health Center.
Warm sunshine and a cool breeze brought smiles to strollers’ faces on Tuesday, Aug. 27, as they made their way past tony restaurants and retailers in Saratoga Springs.
Carter Huntley and Julia Sexton were among those making their way down Broadway, but upscale shopping was not their mission. The ACPHS pharmacy doctoral candidates stopped at stores to offer shop managers and associates some training – on how to use the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone (a.k.a., Narcan).
They were part of a countywide effort to distribute the antidote during Narcan Training Day in advance of International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31. The annual effort has grown each year since its inception in the late 2010s, to 29 sites in 2024, said Alexandra Barr ’16, an ACPHS alumna who is a senior health educator at the Saratoga County Department of Health. The growth is in part due to a continuing increase in opioid use but also a growing comfort level among the public about using naloxone, she said. The antidote, which literally reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, has been known to revive patients from the brink of death.
In total this year, more than 500 people were trained to use naloxone and almost 800 kits were distributed. ACPHS students and residents helped dispense kits to more than 200 people themselves.
Pharmacy resident Dr. Paris Dade '23 said it was rewarding to share knowledge with community members, knowing they might help save lives.
"There were so many people that shared personal stories and their gratitude for the program," Dr. Dade said.
Along with pharmacy residents, eight ACPHS students participated at five sites, including medical practices and the Wilton Mall, through the efforts of Dr. Jacqueline Cleary, an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice who precepts pharmacy students at Saratoga Community Health Center (CHC). In addition, Huntley and Sexton served as a mobile team working with Samuel Halajian, a physician assistant at CHC.
L-R: Dr. Lucy Kerr, a pharmacy resident, and students Amber Garrow and Mandy Liu, at Wilton Medical Arts
Huntley, Sexton and Halajian entered retail shops selling luxury goods like leather coats, designer dresses and fine teas, and asked if salespeople were interested in learning more about naloxone and how to use it. Most retail workers knew what the drug was and were receptive to the on-the-spot training.
The students took turns explaining what they should do if a person in their shop or on the sidewalk appeared to be suffering from an opioid overdose. If they’re unconscious, try to wake them up first, they said. Then they took out a Narcan nasal spray and explained how easy it was to administer. They advised calling 911.
What if I hurt the person I’m trying to help, the retailer workers asked. Huntley and Sexton explained that naloxone will not hurt anyone, even if administered to someone who has not used opioids. Will I get in trouble if the person does not survive, others wanted to know. Halajian explained that New York laws protect residents, even those without medical licenses, who try to assist others by using the antidote.
At each stop, the students left some Narcan kits. Halajian told people where they could get more for free.
Both students found the encounters awkward at first but worth the effort. In their final P4 year, they took the day off from their clinical rotations at Capital Cardiology Associates to participate. They said they want to get as much exposure as they can in different areas of pharmacy practice before deciding how to launch their careers next spring.
By day’s end, they thought they had made a valuable contribution.
“Many people we spoke with were unfamiliar with Narcan or nervous to use it,” Sexton said. “However, people seemed to become more comfortable with the idea of using it after showing them that it is a simple nasal spray.”
“This is a growing issue, not just in Saratoga, but everywhere,” Huntley said. “The more people pushing Narcan out there is better for everyone.”
Halajian, Huntley and Sexton with Kristos Bardascini, a sales associate at the Overland clothing store who received training to administer naloxone.