Monroe County employees get lifesaving training as part of statewide effort to fight opioid crisis

More than 50 county employees will have become Narcan and CPR certified by the end of this week.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The state of Georgia now requires public buildings and schools that have AED defibrillators to have Narcan as well. After inspection, Monroe County officials decided that they not only needed more AEDs, but to go a step further.

“We went ahead and got the AEDs and decided that we were not only going to train on Narcan, but we were going to train as many employees as we could on CPR,” said Kristen Lyndall, the Captain of Operations for Monroe County Emergency Management Services. 

Gov. Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) signed Wesley’s Law into effect earlier this year. The law authorizes the possession of medications that block the effects of opioids in all qualified government buildings and courthouses, as well as school property. Monroe County received money from a lawsuit against distributors and manufacturers of opioids, which it used to purchase AED defibrillators and Narcan.

Lyndall is training dozens of county employees to become Narcan and CPR certified this week. One of them is ground maintenance worker Dnadrick Caslin, who believes the training is making the county much stronger.

“We’re 100% stronger, because everyone can be comfortable,” Caslin said. “Just don’t panic, be yourself and everything will be good.” 

Natalie Peek, an assistant public defender at the Towaliga Circuit, says the training made her and her colleagues feel more prepared to handle life-threatening emergencies while on the job.

“It makes everyone feel safer,” Peek said. “I know that I feel safer if I’m walking into my office, and I know that we have a box there.” 

According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, deaths stemming from drug overdoses across the state increased by 76% from 2019 to 2022, including a 308% in fentanyl-related deaths. Lyndall says Monroe County hasn’t seen an increase in opioid overdoses that reflect national and statewide numbers, but she credits county employees for signing up early and being passionate about learning this week to stay ahead of the curve.

“Everybody thinks it’s people that use an excessive amount of opioids, but they can easily happen accidentally,” Lyndall said. “It can be misreading your prescription or forgetting if you took them.”

Lyndall says not suspecting that there’s a risk of opioid overdose around you is not an excuse to be unprepared. In each session, she preaches the importance of immediate intervention with CPR and/or the delivery of Narcan in emergencies as each second is critical. She believes the citizens of Monroe County will be better off because of it.

“Opioid overdose is life or death,” Lyndall said. “So it’s critical to have these skills and to have that medication readily available to the public.” 

Lyndall says more than 50 county employees will have become Narcan and CPR certified by the end of this week. The county will hold a week of training sessions each November, and certifications will last for two years.