A UCAPD officer saved a student in Arkansas Hall from an overdose with the help of Narcan on Friday, Aug. 25.
“Our officers train annually for the administration of Narcan,” Michael Hopper, public information officer for UCAPD, said.
According to the report, officers Anthony Tufu and Lauren Hargus arrived at the dorm after a call of a potential overdose at approximately 7:15 a.m. to find a custodian at the student’s door, yelling for help. He retrieved a box of Narcan from Arkansas Hall’s first floor but did not know how to use it.
Stephanie Rose, program director of UCA’s addiction studies program and assistant professor for the Department of Health Sciences, helped bring these overdose-stopping resources to campus in fall 2022 and has since helped lead training sessions for faculty, students and community members on how to use them.
“To date, we have trained and given out 701 double-nasal doses of Narcan. Prior to the semester starting, training was provided to all resident assistants, resident coordinators and other faculty members at both UCA and Hendrix,” Rose said.
She said the Narcan training was required for both resident assistants and resident coordinators at UCA, and she hopes to help make the training mandatory for all employees.
“I do think that all employees should be trained and we are working on adding it to our Vector Solutions mandatory training,” Rose said.
Tufu administered two doses of Narcan before the student gained consciousness and could communicate with the officers. Pafford EMS transported the student to Conway Regional Medical Center.
Rose said, “Narcan stays in the body for 30 to 90 minutes. Opioids remain in the body much longer; thus, it is imperative that a person receives medical care even if they receive Narcan.”
Although the custodian could not administer the Narcan to the overdosing student, he grabbed the Naloxbox Narcan kit in Arkansas Hall, speeding up the lifesaving process for the officers.
“There are 27 Naloxboxes on campus. The boxes are located in each residential hall, Greek Village, the UCA Care Clinic, the Torreyson Library and the Student Center. Each Naloxbox is located by an AED, fire extinguisher and one is by the mailboxes to provide a central location,” Rose said.
Aside from the 27 Naloxboxes on campus, UCAPD has an additional supply of Narcan on hand for overdose emergencies like the one on Aug. 25.
“We do have a separate supply for our officers consisting of about 50 boxes,” Hopper said.
Rose said she never turns down the opportunity to help lead Narcan trainings and recommended that everyone familiarize themselves with Narcan and resources that explain how to use it.
“I also highly encourage everyone to download the free Narcansas app, which is available for Androids and iPhones. It provides a ‘how-to’ guide that speaks to you during a rescue. This is available in both English and Spanish for anyone. There are also instruction cards on administration in each Naloxbox, as well as additional resources. I encourage people to review them if they have any doubts,” Rose said.
UCAPD has not seen an increase in overdoses or drug abuse cases on campus.
“These types of incidents have not been prevalent on campus over the past few years,” Hopper said.
Despite the rarity of these cases, Rose said incidents like this prove the importance of having Narcan on hand and training individuals to administer it.
“We have been so proactive, and with the saves we have had; we know it is working,” Rose said.
Rose said she gets emotional each time she hears of a person’s life being saved with Narcan.
“Every time I hear a story about a save, I become tearful. It makes me so happy to know that someone did not lose a loved one and we did not lose one of our beloved UCA family members.
“I am just so appreciative to UCA and our state partnerships to be able to provide this lifesaving resource on campus. As someone who lost a loved one to a fentanyl overdose, knowing that people are getting a second chance and their families can still hug them is priceless,” Rose said.