Father, son provide overdose education

Family duo partners with local counseling center to teach community, provide Narcan training

BY CAMERYN OAKES

Roslyn High School junior Alex Rubin helped save another student’s life from a potential overdose at a party. Using his lifeguard training and what his dad referred to as common sense, Alex Rubin was able to provide her with medical attention and called for paramedics who administered Narcan, a life-saving overdose reversal drug, and transported her to the hospital.

Now he’s continuing to save lives by working with his dad, Edward Rubin, and partnering with Central Nassau Guidance and Counseling Services to provide overdose prevention information sessions and Narcan training to the North Shore.

Alex Rubin said he approached the unresponsive girl at the party to make sure she had a pulse and was breathing.

“She was, thank God,” he said.

As he was surrounded by some 50 high school kids trying to tell him what to do so that he would not call the police or first responders to avoid trouble, Alex Rubin refused to listen and instead chose to go with what he knew was right.

The high school student said she was admitted to the hospital and recovered – a fortunate ending.

But that wasn’t true for their family friend, who unexpectedly died of an overdose.

Alex Rubin said the friend was just like any other high-achieving college student. While his death was tragic, Alex Rubin said it was unfortunately not a unique circumstance.

At a March 20 press conference, County Executive Bruce Blakeman said 270 overdose-related deaths were reported in Nassau County in 2021. Of those deaths, 190 were due to fentanyl.

The father and son started their program in November, but Alex Rubin said they had been brainstorming the idea since the beginning of 2022 in the wake of their family friend’s death.

Alex and Edward Rubin with the Village of East Hills officials for their Nov. 13 training. (Photo courtesy of Edward Rubin)

Edward Rubin said their purpose is to educate teenagers, their families and the broader community about the risk of fentanyl-laced substances and drug overdoses, combining it with comprehensive Narcan training to reverse an overdose if it does happen.

The father-son team with Kathie Lombardi, the outreach coordinator for the guidance and counseling center, have offered overdose prevention talks at the East Hills park, Temple Beth Shalom, two at Roslyn High School and at Paul D. Schreiber High School. Their next session will be at the Shelter Rock Public Library on May 11.

During their talks, each person represents a different aspect of the community and the issue at hand. Alex Rubin shares the statistics and the insight of teenagers experimenting with drugs, Edward Rubin utilizes his pharmacological background to share the medical aspects and Lombardi provides the formal Narcan training and shares her experience as a former drug user.

Attendees are provided overdose prevention kits, which include two doses of Narcan and fentanyl test strips. Similar kits have also been implemented in about 50 Nassau County buildings for use in emergencies.

Alex Rubin said it is important to include two doses of Narcan in case administering the first dose does not work. The kit also includes a card to present at a pharmacy for Narcan refills, which informs a pharmacist that you are trained to administer it.

The overdose rescue kits include two doses of Narcan, two fentanyl test strips with instructions, a rescue

Continued on Page 47