Opioid overdoses are often preventable. While opioid use is uncommon at Cornell, it's important for every community member to be familiar with overdose prevention resources. The Cornell Health Pharmacy began an OOPP (Opioid Overdose Prevention Program) in 2023, allowing our staff to support the Cornell community in the following ways:
- Naloxone spray (Narcan®): This product is currently available at no cost in our self-care vending machine.
- Test strips: Both Fentanyl and Xylazine testing strips are available in many NY State pharmacies, including here at Cornell Health. While these products are free, due to current legislation, they must be dispensed by health services staff. Please ask at the pharmacy counter.
- Training: Cornell Health Pharmacy staff partner with Cornell's Division of Public Safety to provide Naloxone / Narcan awareness and trainings on campus. Each individual who attends the training receives an emergency overdose kit with two free naloxone nasal sprays.
- Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) services: AOD Services are also available on campus for students struggling with use.
Call for help
If you think someone is having an adverse reaction to a drug, or if they have sustained a head injury while drinking or using other drugs, it is imperative you call 911. Know the ABCD signs requiring emergency medical attention.
Under Cornell’s Good Samaritan Protocol (“Good Sam”), those who call for help – and those who receive help – in an alcohol- or drug-related emergency are protected from judicial consequences.