Narcan training, step challenge highlight National Public Health Week celebrations at UB

A Narcan training session, the fourth annual step challenge, and a talk on regulating adult-use marijuana highlight this year’s events as part of the University at Buffalo’s celebration of National Public Health Week.

UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions (SPHHP) will recognize National Public Health Week from April 1-7 with a series of events – all free and open to the public – that highlight and recognize important public health issues.

The featured event is the fourth annual step challenge, running April 1-30. For the past three years, the challenge has rallied together thousands of participants from across Western New York who have taken more than 850 million steps. This year’s goal is 375 million steps.

Register for the 2019 step challenge by visiting http://sphhp.buffalo.edu/ubsteps19.

Another main event is a naloxone training session scheduled for 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in the Butler Auditorium (room 150) in Farber Hall on UB’s South Campus.

Held in collaboration with the Erie County Department of Health and UB’s office of interprofessional education, this training session will teach participants how to recognize signs of an opioid overdose and how to administer life-saving Naloxone, also known as Narcan. The drug is administered to people who have overdosed on opioids, either from overuse of prescription drugs or recreational use.

Registration is required for the Narcan training session.

Additional National Public Health Week events, happening either on UB’s South Campus or online, include:

•April 1: Yoga classes, 403 Hayes Hall. Denise Lanzillotta, a student in the department of exercise and nutrition sciences, will teach a Hatha yoga class from noon to 12:45 p.m. Alumna Elise Pogorzelski will lead a Vinyasa yoga class from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Both are certified yoga instructors. Register online.

•April 2: Stressbusters back rubs and stress-relief tips, noon to 1 p.m. Harriman Hall. Student volunteers will provide free five-minute back rubs and wellness information.

•April 3: The American Public Health Association will host its ninth annual NPHW Twitter chat discussing all things public health, 2-3 p.m. Follow along on the @NPHW handle on Twitter and use the hashtag NPHWchat. RSVP online.

•April 4: “Adventures in Policy Making: NY’s Regulation of Adults’ Use of Cannabis,” 10-11 a.m., 202 Diefendorf Hall. The talk will be presented by R. Lorraine Collins, associate dean for research and professor of community health and health behavior in UB’s School of Public Health and Health Professions.

•April 4: “Race, Mass Incarceration and Public Health,” 5:30-8 p.m., 150 Farber Hall. A screening of “The 13th Amendment,” an acclaimed documentary that explores racial inequality in the criminal justice system, followed by a panel discussion on how the issue connects to public health and well-being.

•April 4: “Vaccinations and Why They Are Vital,” noon to 1 p.m. This online webinar will be presented by UB alumna Jackie Andula, medical care administrator at the Erie County Department of Health. RSVP for the webinar online.

•April 5: Mini fitness evaluations by exercise science students, including blood pressure screenings, hand-grip strength and vertical jump, 10 a.m. to noon, Kimball Tower lobby.

•April 5: Global Health Day, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., 144 Farber Hall. The event includes a symposium (“Substance Use and Its Impact on Local and Global Health”) and a panel discussion titled “Think Locally. Act Globally.”

Visit the event's website to learn more about UB’s National Public Health Week celebrations.