Local Schools Preparing to Save Lives

September 6, 2024 News
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Sept. 6, 2024

SWODA Press Release

Did you know… Drug-related deaths claimed 107,941 American lives in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are responsible for approximately 70% of lives lost, while methamphetamine and other synthetic stimulants account for approximately 30% of deaths. Fentanyl is the nation’s greatest and most urgent drug threat. Two milligrams (mg) of fentanyl is considered a potentially fatal dose. Opioid overdose deaths are happening all around us, and we want Washita County to be prepared. One way to help keep your county safe is to have naloxone on hand and be ready to use it. Factors that put kids at risk include being naïve to the dangers of substances, vulnerability to peer pressure, and being overly trusting of peers and non-parental adults.

Burns Flat-Dill City Schools & Granite Public Schools took a great step to keep their students and staff safe. They had their staff trained on how to use naloxone, and then SWODA provided naloxone to place around the school campus in case there was ever an overdose at the school. We want to thank Burns Flat-Dill City Schools & Granite Public Schools for being proactive instead of reactive.

“We hope the schools never need this medication, but we feel it is the responsible thing to do in the current environment that we live in. SWODA provides the training and the naloxone for free to local schools because we have received grant funding.” -Steve Berry, Director of SWODA’s Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Division.

If you would like to learn more about getting naloxone for yourself, your organization, or your business, please reach out to Steve Berry, Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Division Director, at steve@swoda.org or via phone at 580-562-5043.

Besides keeping naloxone in your home, there are other ways to keep your home safe. One way is to safely store ANY/ALL medications that are in your home. We hope that you store your medications safely, but in other students’ households, that may not be the case. Your kids’ friends may have access to Rx and illicit drugs at home, and those substances may make their way into your local school. For this reason, we applaud the schools’ efforts to train and equip staff to recognize an opioid overdose and respond with Narcan (naloxone) to save lives. This helps keep your friends, family, and pets safe from the potential harms of ingesting medications that were not meant for them. Another way is to safely dispose of any unused or expired medications that are in your home. For a list of drug disposal locations in your area, please follow the link below: https://okimready.org/vending-machines-and-safe-drop-off-locations/.

Copyright 2024 Paragon Communications. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

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Elk City Man Arrested on Kidnapping Charge

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Elk City, OK – An Elk City man has been arrested and charged with kidnapping after police say he took a 10-year-old girl without permission and transported her to multiple locations around town while intoxicated. According to