Over the past few weeks, Truth Pharm has trained 15 new community members to become certified Narcan trainers through our “Train the Trainer” workshop! These trainings enable Narcan trainers to teach others how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose, and how to effectively administer Narcan to reverse an overdose. Narcan trainers bring the local community together to combat overdose fatalities and increase awareness of the resources available in Broome County. Several of these new trainers are current Binghamton University students, through a new partnership between Truth Pharm and a club at Binghamton University.
Binghamton University SSDP members after Truth Pharm’s “Train the Trainer” workshop.
Truth Pharm’s very own AmeriCorps member Ben Glick, a Binghamton University student and overdose intervention specialist, has begun the process of chartering a chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) on BU’s campus. This initiative brings students together and emphasizes the need for harm reduction policies. Working in conjunction with Truth Pharm, Binghamton’s SSDP chapter will focus on supplying students with proper training and resources to reduce the harms of substance use among students. Flyers will soon be hung on campus with a QR code leading to an anonymous google form, where students can request to receive Narcan, fentanyl and xylazine test strips, or to have their substances tested. Alongside this poster will hang a QR code leading to an anonymous google form for reporting any overdoses that may have been reversed using the safety measures provided. The planned launch date for the program is March 1, 2024.
To further spread Truth Pharm and Binghamton University SSDP’s mission, Ben interviewed with WBNG as well as Binghamton University’s journal, Pipe Dream. Glick’s position as both a student and an overdose intervention specialist with Truth Pharm provides him with a unique perspective on the issue at hand, as he emphasizes the importance of harm reduction practices for students, knowing that recovery and abstinence are not clear-cut paths. By having a charter at Binghamton University, Ben is hopeful that people will come together to promote safety and wellness, as well as offer help and advocate for those struggling with substance use.