UAA Pre-Health Society takes action against Alaska's opioid crisis

For National Recovery Month, the UAA Pre-Health Society (PHS) teamed up with Sam Garcia of Heart of Heart Consulting to assemble 250 emergency naloxone (NARCAN) rescue kits for our local community.

This initiative fulfills the Pre-Health Society's mission to give back to the community and address public health needs while giving aspiring healthcare professionals hands-on experience. By preparing 250 kits of the overdose prevention medication, PHS members are taking an active role in protecting and saving lives.

Fentanyl has become the primary cause of fatal overdoses across the United States, but Alaska faces a dangerous crisis as it ranks among the highest states in the U.S. for per capita drug and opioid overdose death rates, according to the KFF.

This kit assembly event is only the beginning for the student led group. PHS works to implement undergraduate coursework with clinical opportunities, collaborating with local providers and WWAMI School of Medical Education students and faculty. So far this year, the club hosted a community barbecue and suture workshop led by an Orthopedic Physicians Alaska (OPA) physician assistant, Kylie Street, PA-C.