As of Jan. 18, 3,542 students have completed the newly required naloxone and medical amnesty training, Dean of Students Kelly Owens said.

Arkansas’ Act 811 required every public high school and higher education institution to install opioid rescue kits by Jan. 1, 2024, and the act “requires UCA to provide training and resources regarding the use of opioids and opioid overdose reversal kits,” according to a Jan. 17 campus-wide email from Owens.

On top of the online videos and quizzes, students and faculty can also request more extensive training for their organizations, which Owens said is “valuable.”

As The Echo reported in August 2022, UCA was the first college in Arkansas to place opioid rescue kits around its campus.

“In the more extensive training, [professor Stephanie Rose] talks about why this training is so important. She will go over statistics related to opioid use in Arkansas, demonstrate how to use Narcan and give each participant two doses to have with them at all times. She uses information provided by the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership,” Owens said.

Owens said, “Faculty and staff have access to Narcan training using the VECTOR platform. Also, several in-person options have been offered to employees as well.”

“Students can email me directly if they would like to offer suggestions” about the courses, Owens said.

Owens said, “This training is meant to be informative and empowering. We are not focusing on punitive sanctions, and I do not foresee us doing so in the future.”