Preparing future nurses means preparing them for real-world emergencies.

Students at Galen College of Nursing’s Roanoke campus received hands-on training to recognize and respond to opioid overdoses—building skills that can save lives both inside and outside of clinical settings.

On May 12, more than 70 students and staff members participated in vital, hands-on training to properly respond to an opioid overdose. The training was conducted by Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare, a community-based nonprofit organization that provides mental health care, substance use treatment, and crisis services to local communities in Southwest Virginia.

Following the training, several students expressed interest in becoming REVIVE trainers. REVIVE is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s opioid overdose and education program. These trainers teach the public how to recognize an overdose and administer naloxone (commonly known as Narcan). Attendees, including students and staff, were also able to leave with a free package of naloxone.

“From my standpoint and having substance abuse in my family, we need more educated people out there, we need more (naloxone) easily available to the public, and we need people who care about what people are going through,” Galen College of Nursing Roanoke campus student Kathryn Huntress said. “With naloxone, we’re not changing lives, we’re just trying to make sure they’re safe.”

The life-saving impact of this training was recently demonstrated by Lesly Arroyo, a student at our Tampa Bay campus. In 2025, Lesly jumped into action on a busy street, successfully using naloxone to save an individual’s life. Much like the recent training at our Roanoke campus, Lesly was able to save a life thanks to a free dose of Narcan she received during a Galen training session.