Cortlandt Community Coalition to Provide Free Narcan Training, Kits

For Immediate Release
April 7, 2015
Media Contact: Bill Powers
845-284-2240
Cortlandt Community Coalition to Provide Free
Narcan Training, Kits & Certification to Cortlandt Residents
at Cortlandt Town Hall, April 20, 2015 @ 7:30pm
--Training Class Aimed at Saving the Lives of Opiate Overdose Victims-Cortlandt Manor, NY – The Cortlandt Community Coalition will present a free training seminar for
Cortlandt residents on how to use Narcan to try to save the life of an opiate/heroin overdose victim.
The free session will be administered by trained personnel and will be held on Monday, April 20, 2015
at 7:30pm at the Vincent F. Nyberg General Meeting Room, One Heady Street, Cortlandt Manor, NY.
Attendees will receive certification and a free Narcan Kit.
The training is being held as a counter-measure on National “Get High Day,” commonly referred to as
“4-20,” in an effort to partly drown out the messaging that encourages drug and alcohol use on April
20 every year.
“As heroin use continues to be a pervasive problem, we want to give residents the chance to save
someone's life from a heroin overdose. Those extra minutes of early intervention could save a life
from this deadly addiction,” said Linda Puglisi, Cortlandt Town Supervisor.
The training will start with a presentation and overview of opiate and heroin use, abuse, and addiction
by Pennye Nash, Executive Director of Sancia Health Care Inc. Sancia's Medical Director, Dr. Stewart
Schwartz, will conduct the Narcan training.
Narcan, administered in a nasal spray, has been used by local police, EMS and first responders to save
the lives of numerous overdose victims over the past year.
“People have been using Epi-pens for decades to counteract allergic reactions. The Narcan spray is
similar in that it reverses the effects of an opiate overdose almost immediately as long as it is
administered in time. Police, fire, and EMS have been trained in the use of Narcan with outstanding
results. Narcan is a proven, effective tool in our collective fight against heroin addiction,” said Colleen
Anderson, Cortlandt Community Coalition Coordinator.
Those attending the training class will receive certification and a free Narcan Kit to take home with
them. Narcan is available only by prescription.
To register, contact Colleen Anderson at 914-734-1052 or by email at colleena@townofcortlandt.com.
Class sizes are limited, and reservations are required.
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About the presenters:
Pennye W. Nash is the co-owner and executive director of Sancia Health Care Inc., a behavioral health
organization in White Plains that provides out-patient mental health and substance abuse treatment.
Ms. Nash received her bachelor’s degree in psychology graduating with honors from Ithaca College
and received her master’s degree in social work from Syracuse University. She is a licensed Clinical
Social Worker with R certification. Over the past 34 years, she has worked tirelessly in the health and
human service field. Ms. Nash’s passion for working in the behavioral health field is founded on the
belief in the value and worth of each individual, believing that each has an inherent strength and
enduring ability. Ms. Nash is the recipient of the Trailblazer Award in Health and Human Services and
presented by the County Executive Office and the Westchester County African American Advisory
Board.
Dr. Stewart Schwartz is Medical Director at Sancia, which has locations in White Plains, Yonkers and
Peekskill, N.Y. He graduated from New York University and went on to earn his Masters in Social Work
from Adelphi University. At age 31 he decided to go to medical school and subsequently graduated
from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1987. For thirteen years he was medical director of
Child and Adolescent Services at Albert Einstein's Soundview Throgs Neck Community Mental Health
Center located in the Bronx. In addition to being medical director at Sancia, Dr. Schwartz also works at
The Vida Guidance Center in the Bronx and maintains a busy private practice in White Plains, N.Y.
About the Coalition:
The Coalition is made up of parents, substance abuse counselors, local and county government
officials, representatives from state and county police, faith-based organizations, schools, civic
organizations, parents, youth and medical organizations. The Coalition's vision is for Cortlandt to
become a culturally aware, deeply bonded community in which children can prosper and grow into
healthy, resilient members. The Coalition is focused on underage drinking and drug use by working
with community business and residents to change adult attitudes about this problem.