From counseling services to 24/7 courtesy rides, Linfield University promotes wellbeing and safety on campuses in many ways. Earlier this year, Linfield added a new resource to their toolkit: the university now has access to a supply of naloxone and EpiPens, and Linfield Public Safety (LPS) officials have been trained in using both in emergency situations.
Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, is used as an opioid-overdose antidote, while EpiPens are used to mitigate severe allergic reactions. The understanding that rapid administration of the appropriate medication will lead to better outcomes, meaning lives saved, prompted Linfield officials to act. The McMinnville campus has secured a supply of Narcan and EpiPens, and the Portland campus will have theirs in the near future.
LPS, which has officers located on both campuses, were trained earlier this year in administering both drugs.
“The former LPS director, Dennis Marks, and I worked together to bring Narcan and Narcan rescue training to campus. I also trained the LPS staff on EpiPen administration.” said Patricia Haddeland, director of Linfield’s Student Health, Wellness and Counseling. “Both the McMinnville and Portland campuses will be supplied with prescriptions for EpiPens to be administered by Linfield’s first responders.”
The implementation of these safety measures provides an extra layer of protection for the Linfield community. These medications are designed to be used in emergency situations as effective reversals to life threatening reactions.
“We trained on EpiPens a few years ago, but they’ve been extremely expensive,” Marks said. “When COVID-19 happened, we didn’t continue the training, so now we’re just getting back into it.”
The supply and training on administering Narcan is new to Linfield as of the fall 2022 semester. Due to low availability, a partnership developed with the McMinnville Police Department, McMinnville Fire Department and Yamhill Communications Agency (YCOM) which allows the agencies to share resources as needed. Yamhill County Public Health agreed to fund and provide Narcan to Linfield if the medication is shared with these partner agencies.
While national data shows that opioid use is extremely low on college campuses, Haddeland felt these precautions were necessary to proactively keep the university community safer.
“The Linfield campuses are not immune to members of our community using drugs, and we hope to build awareness that the supply is unreliable these days, as far as what you’re ingesting,” Haddeland explained. “It’s becoming more obvious that we need to be prepared for the possibility that [an overdose] could happen on our campus. Simply put; this decision is intended to save lives.”
Her idea was backed by unwavering support.
“I don’t see that we have a huge drug problem, and I don’t see that we have a lot of people with [deadly] allergies, but there are a few,” Marks said. “Even if people don’t normally display allergies, the next bee sting could change that. It’s good to have these lifesaving tools.”
LPS can be reached by phone at 503-883-7233 in McMinnville and 503-823-3333 in Portland.
Learn more about Linfield’s other safety initiatives at linfield.edu/safety.
