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New York Medical College and Westchester County Department of Health Collaborate to Combat Opioid Overdoses

The AAMC is encouraging medical schools, such as our own, to find ways to respond to the opioid epidemic that has been gripping local communities

Date: September 06, 2016
Media Contact:

Jennifer Riekert, M.B.A.
Vice President of Communications
New York Medical College
(914) 594-4552
jennifer_riekert@nymc.edu

 Medical Students Receive Narcan Administration Training

Valhalla, N.Y., September 6, 2016– New York Medical College (NYMC) today announced that more than 200 members of the School of Medicine Class of 2020 will be certified in the administration of Nalaxone (Narcan™) to help fight the epidemic of opioid and heroin overdoses. At the direction of the School of Medicine Dean and in collaboration with the Westchester County Department of Health, the students will be trained to recognize the signs and symptoms of an opioid or heroin overdose and learn how to administer Nalaxone (Narcan™).

When administered properly, the nasal spray Narcan restores breathing that has been dangerously slowed by an overdose of opioid drugs such as heroin. Each student will be certified for two years to administer Narcan in New York State and receive a free kit with a needleless syringe and two nasal spray doses of Naloxone, courtesy of the Westchester County Department of Health.   

“The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is encouraging medical schools, such as our own, to find ways to respond to the opioid epidemic that has been gripping local communities,” noted School of Medicine Dean, Dr. D. Douglas Miller. “Like several other U.S. medical schools, we have taken a pledge to do so.”

Westchester County Health Commissioner, Sherlita Amler, M.D., who led the training said,

“As someone actively involved with administering clinical skills sessions and Basic Life Support (BLS) certifications to our medical students and members of the local community, I believe that pairing Nalaxone and opioid reversal trainings with BLS courses shows our commitment to the AAMC’s important mission. Our first training session was a success and the feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive. It has been an honor to collaborate with medical professionals throughout Westchester County, who are also dedicated to raising awareness on this important subject,” said Katharine Yamulla, NYMC Director of Clinical Skills and Simulation Center.

The Narcan training was held in conjunction with the BLS training medical students are required to take and eventually all NYMC School of Medicine graduates will be certified in Narcan administration. Additional training sessions will be held at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 8 and Monday, September 12 in the NYMC Clinical Skills and Simulation Center at 7 Dana Road, Valhalla, N.Y.

About New York Medical College

Founded in 1860, NYMC is one of the oldest and largest health sciences colleges in the country with more than 1,400 students, 1,300 residents and clinical fellows, nearly 3,000 faculty members, and 16,000 living alumni. The College, which joined the Touro College and University System in 2011, is located in Westchester County, New York, and offers advanced degrees from the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences, and the School of Health Sciences and Practice. With a network of affiliated hospitals that includes large urban medical centers, small suburban clinics and high-tech regional tertiary care facilities, NYMC provides a wide variety of clinical training opportunities throughout the tri-state region for medical students, residents, and other health providers.