A Seymour resident and a local business owner who serves on Seymour City Council is helping to provide education and tools to save lives from drug overdoses.
Jackie McClintock has lived through the nightmare of her son’s drug addiction. Shawn Malone said he is tired of watching drugs tear apart the community he loves.
From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, McClintock and Malone are hosting naloxone, or Narcan, distribution and training at Malone’s pizza restaurant, The Brooklyn Pizza Co., at 753 W. Second St. in Seymour.
Naloxone is a medication that can be administered as a nasal mist or intramuscular injection to a person suspected of overdosing on opioids, including heroin. The medication can slow, stop and even reverse the effects of opioids.
Eight doses of Narcan were used for four overdoses in Seymour on Tuesday. The overdoses were part of a wave of at least 17 reported in the area, including one that led to the death of a 52-year-old North Vernon woman.
McClintock, who works as a registered nurse at the Scott County Health Department, said she is passionate about educating the community and helping people save their loved ones.
Besides her medical perspective, McClintock has a personal reason for getting involved.
“I’m a parent who has had to use Narcan to save my son’s life,” she said. “I’m very passionate about my work, and I just want everyone to be educated.”
She also worked with Malone to offer HIV testing to the community a couple of months ago.
During Monday’s event, a limited amount of naloxone kits will be available to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is no charge for the kits or for the training. Donations will be accepted to help cover the costs.
Naloxone also can be purchased at local pharmacies for $30 to $40 per dose. A prescription is not needed.
McClintock said she keeps a supply of the medication at home and urges anyone with a friend or family member who suffers from opioid addiction to do the same.
The supply of naloxone and the training are being provided by Overdose Lifeline Inc., an Indiana nonprofit organization focused on harm reduction, prevention, education and support for the community, the individual and family members impacted by the state’s opioid epidemic and the disease of addiction.
McClintock said she is working with Justin Phillips, founder and executive director of Overdose Lifeline, to provide the naloxone training and other new resources to the community to deal with the drug problem.
“We can apply for a grant to get more, so there will be more of it available,” McClintock said of making naloxone available for free to the public.
Malone said he had planned to host the naloxone distribution in September, but due to the recent outbreak of heroin overdoses in Jackson and Jennings counties earlier this week, he decided sooner was better.
Although he said he has received some negative comments and backlash for getting involved, he’s not backing down.
“I will always stand on the side of awareness and caution,” he said.
Residents need to realize that by conducting the naloxone distribution, he is not bringing heroin to the community or the neighborhood where Brooklyn Pizza is located.
“I am sorry, but the drug is already here,” he said. “We need to educate ourselves on it and what is going on with it around us.”
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What: Naloxone or Narcan distribution and training
When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: The Brooklyn Pizza Co., 753 W. Second St., Seymour
Cost: Free
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