Naloxone Demo takes place at Soldier’s Field

Naloxone demo at Soldiers Field

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(ABC 6 News)- More than a dozen people sat poolside at Soldier’s Field Aquatic Center on Tuesday, but not for what you may think.

Instead of taking a dip, people learned how to administer naloxone in the case of an overdose.

“We touch a little bit on how to recognize what an overdose looks like. So what’s going on in a persons body and brain, what symptoms we might be looking for, and how to use naloxone to respond to that,” said Megan Walsh, the Overdose Prevention Specialist at the Steve Rummler Hope Network.

It’s an issue affecting many here in Olmsted County.

“We’ve heard about a bunch of overdoses within our city and it happened at one of our pools as well so, our first step was to get our entire staff trained in overdose prevention, and we open it up to the community every year as well to hopefully spread the word,” said Sam Sonnabend who is the Aquatics Director at Soldier’s Field Aquatic Center in Rochester.

Walsh knows firsthand the devastating effects if someone is not prepared and doesn’t know how to use naloxone.

“In the United States, a person passes away from an opioid involved overdose every 6 and a half minutes. Opioid overdose is something that effects all of us. It acts on you regardless of age, your race, and your upbringing,” said Walsh.

She also said it can have a positive effect on the community.

“I think this is a huge tool for our public health just for improving the safety of our own community and looking out for others,” said Walsh.

With overdose incidents happening all over the U.S, it has never been more important to learn how to use these kits.

For information on how to use the kits, click here