WESTOVER — As part of the Somerset County Health Department’s “Unmask Addiction” campaign, training is being offered in the administration of Narcan, a drug used to assist someone at risk of dying from an opioid overdose when emergency medical services are not immediately available.

Certified staff will train family members and friends of opioid users on how to use the drug at no charge. There will also be information on treatment programs, transitional housing and law enforcement measures.

Last year the Health Department’s Overdose Response Program trained 100 people with three reversals reported. That same year six overdose deaths were confirmed in Somerset County.

The training lasts one hour and includes information about prescription and non-prescription opioids and recognizing the signs of a drug overdose. Rescue breathing and positioning techniques, administering Naloxene (marketed as Narcan) and how to report its use will be discussed.

Successfully trained individuals will also receive a certificate allowing them to fill a free prescription for Naloxone (Narcan). Health Department officials are also encouraging local physicians to include a prescription for Narcan when writing a prescription for an opiate for patients.

Training sessions are for the first 25 people who register and are set 5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, May 20 and June 17. Call 443-523-1790 to reserve a space. The sessions will be held at the Health Department’s Behavioral Health Center at 8928 Sign Post Road in Westover.