Dutchess County's Breaking Through initiative strives to combat the opioid crisis by stomping out the stigma, providing education and relief, and giving hope. Breaking Through offers community training in Narcan administration, crisis intervention, and mental health. The goal of all their training is to increase knowledge about mental health and substance abuse while saving lives.

A couple of the programs that Dutchess County offers are Overdose Prevention and Crisis Intervention. The Overdose Prevention Program provides law enforcement and community members with overdose prevention kits and training on how to use them. Over 3,000 Narcan overdose reversal kits have been distributed to date, and in 2016, law enforcement and emergency responders saved 395 lives using this medication.

The Crisis Intervention Training is designed to help educate police officers on how to effectively interact with individuals in their communities who are in crisis due to behavioral health or developmental disorders. The idea is to create a partnership between law enforcement, advocacy, and mental health communities, with over 500 law enforcement and correction officers trained to date.

Dutchess County Government's Virtual Narcan Training

Dutchess County is hosting its next virtual Narcan training session on Wednesday, June 22nd at 4:30 pm. You can sign up by emailing the Opioid Education Coordinator Lori Levine at llevine@dutchessny.gov or calling (845) 243-4428.

Each person in attendance will receive training for administering the life-saving medication. Participants will also have the opportunity to pick up a free Narcan kit after training.

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said:

"We must break through the stigma and talk openly about the realities of the opioid epidemic, so no one ever feels ashamed or afraid to admit they, or someone they love, is suffering or in need of help. I encourage you to help someone you know find treatment, reach out to a family who lost a loved on to provide support, get trained on how to use Narcan, or share you story of recovery to inspire others. "

Resources

You can learn more about Breaking Through and all that it offers the community by calling or texting the HELPLINE that is available 24/7 at 845-485-9700. The HELPLINE is here to connect you with all the services offered and provides immediate crisis intervention, counseling, and direct connections to services and treatment.

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