Narcan Now Available on SRSU Alpine Campus

By Dawson Beard, Skyline Reporter

ALPINE – The Big Bend Hospital District has provided 32 doses of Narcan, an emergency nasal spray to reverse an opioid overdose, free of charge to Sul Ross State University.  

While there is no issue with SRSU student overdoses at this time, the university wants to be prepared in case the situation arises, an SRSU health official told the Skyline. 

“There is no issue with the student population at this time, thankfully! We received the Narcan as a kind gesture,” SRSU Health Services Coordinator Danielle Bell said, “I thought it was awesome that they thought of us and gave it to us!” 

The administrator of the drug places the nozzle of the Narcan container into the overdosing individual’s nose and sprays the drug into it. This blocks the effects of any opioids in the individual’s system and restores their breathing. Narcan has saved thousands of lives since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved it in 2015. 

Bell and the University Police Department have been trained to administer the newest shipment of Narcan. However, there are other individuals at SRSU who were already trained, and given Narcan doses, at a mental health first aid training seminar in Odessa in February. 

Plans to distribute doses and train even more members of the SRSU staff are underway, but specific details of those plans have not yet been determined. 

“We do have doses for the availability of others to be trained and carry on campus as well, but it has not been determined yet who that would be,” said Danielle Bell, “We will be meeting to discuss the best option for keeping our campus as safe as possible in the near future!”