LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A new program in Pulaski County is taking aim at the problem of opioid use and overdoses.

The Wolfe Street Foundation has received over $14,000, and starting this month, the foundation will begin training people to recognize the signs of overdose and use naloxone nasal spray to save lives.

The money comes through the Naloxone Community Hero Project of the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership (ARORP).

The ARORP oversees the strategic disbursement of opioid settlement dollars at the city and county levels and works to reduce overdose deaths through prevention, treatment, enforcement, and recovery.

Wolfe Street Foundation Executive Director Justin Buck says the program is about more than just overdose.

“We’ve been helping people survive and recover from alcohol and other substance use disorders for over 40 years,” Buck said. “And the continued growth of fentanyl poisonings and opioid overdoses across the country are driving us to do even more in the community.”

The Wolfe Street Foundation will receive a credit from the established Arkansas Naloxone Bank to obtain naloxone for its dissemination to families and community members in Pulaski County, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, and Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr.

“Supporting this initiative was an easy decision,” Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde said. “We want to do everything we can to curb the abuse of opioids in Arkansas, and the Wolfe Street Foundation’s participation in this project is imperative to fighting opioid addiction in our state.”

Training opportunities will be held throughout central Arkansas beginning in late January free of charge to community members.

For more information on naloxone overdose reversal training, visit www.WolfeStreet.org or call 501-372-5662.