The Berrien County Health Department will host some free overdose response training this month.

Health department prevention specialist Lisa Peeples-Hurst tells us they’ll be showing people how to administer the anti-overdose drug, Narcan. It’s a simple nasal spray that can revive someone who’s stopped breathing as a result of opioid use. Peeples-Hurst says the training on August 27 and 28 will be drive-thru style.

“They pull up and then our trained personnel go over the signs of an overdose, how to use Narcan, a specific technique to help them to remember the steps, and then the citizens fill out a simple form and they’re given a free Narcan kit,” Peeples-Hurst said.

Since the department started offering free Narcan, Peeple-Hurst says it’s given out more than 600 doses. And she’s been told they make a difference.

“We have a lot of people come through who have personal stories, personal stories of loss and personal stories of dealing with people who are actively in addiction or even those that are in recovery.”

Peeples-Hurst says the Narcan training sessions are also about educating people on addiction issues to ease stigma so those who are struggling can find help.

The August 27 training will be at the Berrien County Health Department office in Benton Harbor, while the August 28 training will be at the department’s office in Niles. Each day, the training will run from 9 a.m. to noon and then 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Peeples-Hurst also notes there are several locations around the county where someone can pick up a free Narcan kit anytime. You can see a list of them below. You can sign up for the training right here.