“Guys who are standing up, come take a seat behind the dais,” Rep. David Trone said to the handful of congressional aides hovering by the door of a packed committee hearing room Wednesday. It was standing room only in Longworth 1302 for the second annual naloxone training for congressional staff, and at Trone’s behest, the group of latecomers shuffled over to take the seats usually reserved for their bosses.
They crammed in to learn how to respond to an opioid overdose and administer naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan. The drug, which comes in a nasal spray, quickly and safely blocks the effects of opioids like prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl, though it also can cause immediate withdrawal effects akin to a brutal hangover.
“I’m always scared that something is going to happen, and so I want to make sure that I know how to use it,” said one House Democratic staffer, who spoke anonymously because she wasn’t authorized to talk with reporters. The H Street resident described calling an ambulance for a neighbor of hers who was overdosing. “Now I feel like I can actually do something instead of just calling 911, because I’ll actually get Narcan,” she said.
