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Recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose
An opioid overdose can happen anywhere — on a job site, in a school, in a public building, or in your own workplace. Naloxone (commonly known by the brand name Narcan) reverses it, but only if someone nearby recognizes what is happening and knows how to use it. This one-hour American Red Cross course teaches your people to do exactly that.
Opioid overdose is no longer a problem confined to any one setting, and Michigan employers, schools, and public-facing organizations are increasingly choosing to train staff and stock naloxone as a matter of basic preparedness.
This Skill Boost is built for workplace first-aid responders and safety committees, school and university staff, construction and industrial crews, property managers, libraries and community organizations, hospitality and retail teams, and anyone who wants to be able to act in the minutes before EMS arrives.
Naloxone is safe: if you administer it to someone who is not actually experiencing an opioid overdose, it will not harm them. The far greater risk is a bystander who freezes because they were never trained.
Narcan (naloxone) training teaches you to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and to administer naloxone — a medication that temporarily reverses the overdose — while waiting for emergency responders. Our course is an American Red Cross Skill Boost and takes about one hour.
Not beforehand. This Skill Boost is designed to be added to a First Aid/CPR/AED course, or taken if you already hold a valid certification. If you are not CPR certified, the course includes skill practice in compression-only CPR so you are still prepared to respond.
Your American Red Cross digital certification is valid for two years.
No. Naloxone only acts on opioids. If it is given to a person who is not experiencing an opioid overdose, it will not harm them. This is why training emphasizes acting quickly when you suspect an overdose rather than waiting to be certain.
Yes. We deliver this training onsite at workplaces, schools, and facilities across Michigan, with a maximum class size of 12 so everyone gets real hands-on practice.