On International Overdose Awareness Day, a group of aspiring pharmacists in their sixth year at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences were educating members of the public about Narcan, an opioid overdose reversal treatment.

“The important thing to know is this could happen anywhere, from a parking lot to your place of employment,” Adam Rutherford said. “And being that person that could have it could save someone else’s life.”

Opioid addiction is impacting thousands of lives across our country on a daily basis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports since 1999, more than 1 million people have overdosed and died.

“We have some real unfortunate stories of overdoses that recently have happened,” Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences associate professor Jacqueline Cleary said. “You know, folks you don’t expect.”

People like service men and women. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 1.3 million veterans reported a substance use disorder in 2019.

“Transitioning from military life, no matter the branch, into civilian life, it can be a hard transition for some people,” Kortney Warkentin said.

It’s an issue that strikes a chord with Warkentin, who prior to studying pharmaceutical science, served 10 years in the Navy.

“A lot of veterans get addicted to pain medication dealing with prescription medication from service-connected injuries,” she said.

An initiative like this one was not something Wakentin or her colleagues take lightly.

“Pharmacists are really a gateway to education for the general population,” said Juliette Beatty. ”In my town and every town, there are seats and incidents where people are overdosing, and it’s really important that everyone knows how to help."