Foutaindale Adds Narcan To Their Automated External Defibrillators

To ensure all library staff members and anyone from the public has access to Narcan, the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook now keeps the lifesaving antidote in all four of its AEDs (automated external defibrillators). Most of the library staff have been trained to administer Narcan. “Our library is a place where everyone is welcome,” said Paul Mills, executive director of the

Fountaindale Public Library District. “We do our best to provide a safe and welcoming space and we want to be prepared to handle emergencies.”

The Fountaindale staff was one of the first libraries in Will County to participate in Narcan training offered by Dr. Kathleen Burke, director of the office of substance use initiatives under County Executive Larry Walsh. According to Burke, the Fountaindale Library is the first in Will County to keep Narcan with its AEDs. “Paul took the lead in offering Narcan training to his staff and shared the opportunity with his peer library directors about this lifesaving training,” Burke said. “He was also one of the first community libraries to offer Narcan training to the public through the library. Adding the Narcan to the AED units is the perfect place to make this antidote readily available.”

Early in 2017, Burke began offering Narcan training to any person or organization in the county through the Drug Overdose Prevention Program (DOPP) grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. Naloxone (Narcan) is an easy to use, lifesaving medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose when delivered in a timely manner. Mills said he thinks the library is at the heart of a community and it makes sense to participate in this program to save life.

Press Release Will County Executive Larry Walsh