INDIANAPOLIS — A shot of Narcan is small, powerful and it could save your life. It's so important that health experts say it's now as important as a fire extinguisher.
As America's opioid epidemic continues to touch families across the country, residents in Decatur Township are preparing to respond to the issue head-on.
"It's vital at this time. Losing a 115 people a day, it's critical. Since we are in the middle of this epidemic we need to be paying attention," Deidra Coleman of the Marion County Public Health Department said.
Kelly Ivey said her 22-year-old niece died while in a recovery program in Florida. Her niece was not given a shot of Narcan, which could have allowed her to recover from the overdose in a matter of seconds.
Ivey said she hopes more communities provide training on how to handle an emergency that could occur at any time.
"I just say, it doesn't hurt. I mean sitting through a 20-25 minute lesson on it. You become a little more educated. That is just like you said it's just as important as having a fire extinguisher in your home," Ivey said.
Coleman said the opioid epidemic does not discriminate and, with training, anyone may be able to make the difference when they least expect it.
"If you ran into an individual that you think is experiencing an opioid overdose and you're able to administer to them and you save their life, that's a life," Coleman said.
