A western Massachusetts group focused on opioid abuse is offering this week the first in a series of online trainings on administering an opioid overdose reversal drug.
The Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region is offering the sessions in partnership with Tapestry, a western Massachusetts health care nonprofit.
The public can learn how to identify an overdose and how to reverse it with a drug called Narcan.
Maile Shoul, who is with the task force, said the pandemic has been particularly challenging for those battling addiction.
"We’ve found that the social distancing regulations that make people less likely to catch COVID can actually make people more susceptible to substance use disorders," she said. "People are feeling more isolated. They’re just kind of feeling less connected to their communities and to their support."
Shoul said while online trainings can be less dynamic than in-person ones, they do offer an advantage: the Zoom Narcan trainings the task force has provided so far have been accessed by people around the country.