MT. ORAB — One organization wants to combat the drug problems in Brown County by educating the public through an upcoming workshop.

Talbert House: Brown County Recovery Services is sponsoring Operation: Street Smart and Narcan training, in conjunction with the Brown County Board of MHAS and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office.

The event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug. 14 at Western Brown High School. OSS will be held in the morning. The Narcan training will be held in the afternoon.

OSS is taught by three undercover narcotics officers from the FCSO. It is designed to educate teachers, social workers, community partners, parents and anyone working with children about current drug trends, terminology and paraphernalia.

The Narcan training is to help the public understand what the drug is and how it works.

Narcan, also known as naloxone, can reverse the effects of an overdose by blocking the brain’s receptors that opiates latch onto and helping the body “remember” to take in air, according to an article published in The News Democrat in 2014.

Debbie Otten, L.S.W., a prevention and education provider with Talbert, said she believes all emergency medical teams have Narcan, and Talbert now has a grant that provides clients with Narcan kits.

Otten said if someone has a family member with an addiction, they can call Talbert, go through a short training session and receive a kit so “they’re armed with this.”

“Talbert is working hard to bring programs like this into the community as a way of fighting the drug problems we’re having and as a way to get people the help that they need,” Otten said.

Brown County has the highest number of drug overdose deaths per capita in Ohio, according to Otten.

The program is free and open to the public, but space is limited.

The deadline to register is Aug. 4. For more information or to register, contact Otten at 937-444-6127, ext. 2611.

Reach Lora Abernathy at 937-378-6161 or on Twitter @AbernathyLora.

Blanchester paramedic Angie Schlake has saved many people using the drug Narcan.
https://www.newsdemocrat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_GND-Narcan-Andrea-1.jpgBlanchester paramedic Angie Schlake has saved many people using the drug Narcan.
Groups to host educational, training workshop Aug. 14

By Lora Abernathy

labernathy@civitasmedia.com