The Twin Cities Rotary Club will host a free “train the trainer” event at Centralia College next month to teach community members how to administer potentially lifesaving overdose medication.
The one-hour event is scheduled for Thursday, July 18, at 6 p.m. in the Bowman Room in the TransAlta Commons at Centralia College. Registration is required to attend, and members can register at ragapbooking.com/event/twin-cities-rotary-naloxone-trainers/.
During the event, Rotary Club members will train attendees how to administer naloxone, and how to teach others to do so. Upon completion, attendees will receive a free dose of naloxone, a certificate of completion, and will be registered in the Rotary database as certified trainers.
Club member Arny Davis said the training is extremely important, particularly after 107,543 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The issue is personal for Davis, who said he has family members who have struggled with opioid addiction.
“That was my reason,” Davis said. “And I just see this as an epidemic in our community, and I just want to do my little part. And I just thought this was a good opportunity for our club.”
According to Davis, the “train the trainers” event is the first of five events the club will host under Project S.M.A.R.T., which stands for School Education, Medicine and drug disposal, Awareness, Recovery and Treatment. The Rotary Club plans to address other project initiatives in upcoming events.
The Twin Cities Rotary Club has launched a Rotary Action Group for Addiction Prevention Committee that includes Davis, Larry McGee, Anil Puri, Don Wilson, Mike Evinger, former Chehalis School District Superintendent Christine Moloney and Centralia School District Superintendent Lisa Grant.
