 When nearly 600 people in Minnesota died from drug overdoses in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As Mal Meyer reports from Grand Rapids, community members are getting trained on how to use a life-saving overdose reversal medicine to prevent more deaths from happening. It's an epidemic that has quickly grown over recent years, even when properly prescribed opioids can be highly addictive. Unfortunately, about four out of five heroin users were prescribed opioids legally. When someone takes too much of a drug or believes the substance to be something else, their heartbeat and breathing can rapidly decrease. You know, if they're not breathing, they have a chance of brain damage, and that's really why having naloxone is so critical. Naloxone, often referred to as a brand named Narcan, can be administered for an overdose caused by a wide variety of drugs. This will act on any opioid. Why this event was held today was to get people aware that we can get naloxone and we can save lives. Naloxone can be prescribed by a doctor, and it does not necessarily require advanced training. However, the training teaches you how to properly administer it and how many doses might be needed. I wanted to get the training because I still have people from my past that still use opioids that I know and I've went to high school with and things like that. Brie Erickson is a nurse and wanted to learn more in order to carry it with her. She hopes more people will take a training to do the same. I mean, you never know when you're going to run across somebody who might need your help. The Garrett Bethke Foundation hopes to work with area law enforcement agencies to have their officers carry Narcan while on the job. In Grand Rapids, I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. Some pharmacies can provide naloxone with a prescription if you are concerned for yourself or want to have it on hand for others. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.