RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The power to save a life in the event of an overdose is now more accessible than ever.
Arkansas Act 811 mandates public high schools, colleges and universities that receive public funds have emergency kits to counter overdoses in nearly every building.
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That law went into effect at the start of the year, but having access to something is different than knowing how to use it. It is why the Department of Human Services is training students, staff, and faculty across the state about the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone and how to use it.
Reagan Walls, a freshman at Arkansas Tech University, said she was probably 13 or 14 when she first heard of the destructive power of an overdose. It was from a party in her hometown of West Memphis, she said older kids from school did not survive.
“It’s very much more real than you realize it until you are a part of it,” Walls said.
Not having the opioid reversal tool Naloxone then is something she can now change along with any student if an incident happens on a college campus. Ensuring the prevention can happen is part of Arkansas Tech University Wellness Case Manager Lisa Crider’s job.