Narcan Training

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Bobbie Bratton with student demonstrating narcan on a simulation dummy

In response to a surge in opioid overdoses, the City of Fort Worth has awarded another $227,332 grant to UNT Health Fort Worth. This crucial funding will enable UNT Health to further expand its comprehensive opioid intervention education programs, with a new focus on addressing maternal mortality and helping families meet the problem head on. In 2024, MedStar Mobile Health reported a fourfold increase of opioid-involved calls with pregnant, possibly pregnant or postpartum women.

According to the CDC, about 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable, based on data from 2017 to 2019. What’s surprising is that mental health conditions, including suicide and overdoses related to substance use, now account for nearly one in four (23%) of these deaths, surpassing physical complications, which were once the leading causes.

Through this grant, UNT Health will continue to implement educational programs targeting the opioid epidemic. These programs are a collaborative effort, leveraging the expertise of the College of Public Health and the College of Nursing faculty and students. Partnerships with Challenge of Tarrant County, the Fort Worth Fire Department, and a variety of maternal health focused community-based organizations will bring this effort to fruition.

 

a student practicing narcan administration on a simulation dummy

Training

There are three pillars of the training program:

  1. Community Training and Capacity Building:UNT Health Fort Worth will partner with 10 Fort Worth–based organizations that serve perinatal, pregnant, and postpartum mothers to train 250 community members, students, and volunteers. Participants will learn to recognize an opioid overdose and how to administer naloxone to temporarily pause the overdose symptoms until EMS arrives. Once trained, participants will be able to train other member organizations, members, and partners to effectively abate maternal and youth opioid overdose deaths.
  1. Parent and Youth Prevention Education:
    In collaboration with Challenge of Tarrant County, the program will reach 300 parents, teachers, and school administrators, through community and school-based outreach. Through educational presentations and virtual reality training, parents will gain tools to have effective, preventive conversations with their children and teens about substance avoidance including opioid use.
  2. First Responder Motivational Interviewing Training:
    Working with Fort Worth Fire Department’s EMS “Nurturing Futures” program, the initiative will train at least 50 paramedics in motivational interviewing techniques to support pregnant, possibly pregnant, or postpartum women affected by opioid use to help reduce maternal mortality from accidental overdose.

Together, these three components aim to prevent opioid misuse, support maternal health, and strengthen community response through education, communication, and early intervention. Life-saving resources also will be distributed during the training sessions.

If you’d like to learn more or get involved, use this link to contact UNT Health’s College of Public Health.

Toolkit Materials and Resources

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