Fight the Opioid Crisis

Addiction to opioids is an epidemic in the United States and the state of Alabama is not immune. In 2017, Gov. Kay Ivey established the Alabama Opioid Overdose and Addiction Council to study the problem in Alabama and how to combat it.

Auburn men and women believe in helping those in their community and being prepared in an emergency. For this reason, the Harrison School of Pharmacy is raising money to better prepare our campus in the case of an unintended overdose. HSOP is raising money to educate first responders and train them on the use of Naloxone (Narcan). Additionally, educational material and seminars are planned to raise awareness among the community at-large.

With the dollars raised through Tiger Giving Day, we will host classes for the first responders in the Auburn area about Naloxone, the reversing drug administered at the first signs of an overdose, and how to administer it.

Dr. Kimberly Braxton-Lloyd, assistant dean at the Harrison School of Pharmacy, is leading the efforts for Auburn’s campus to be prepared during an emergency.

“Auburn University wants to be prepared when these high-potency, laced drugs appear in the AU community,” said Braxton-Lloyd. “We want to train our first responders about this epidemic and how to prevent a fatal unintended overdose.”

With the alarming statistics of unintended overdoses, these stations and trained first responders could save a life.