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New app created in Maine aims to reduce opioid deaths

Maine's Office of Behavioral Health and the University of Maine have created a new app that they hope will reduce the number of overdose deaths.

MAINE, USA — Maine's Office of Behavioral Health and the University of Maine have collaborated to create a new app with the purpose of reducing the number of opioid deaths. 

The app, called OD-ME, is available through the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store and is free.

Its goal is to act as an emergency tool for a person dealing with an addict who is overdosing. 

The app gives step-by-step instructions on how to use naloxone either as a nasal spray or injection along with audio and visual guidance to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation if necessary. It can also dial 911 for emergency assistance and 211 for additional resources. 

“The app is not meant to be a stand-in for formal naloxone use training,” says Alexander Rezk, a research assistant at the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center who was involved in the development. “Rather, it is a low-barrier, easy-to-use emergency response and educational tool for those who want to be prepared.” 

It was developed by the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and the Virtual Environment and Multimodal Interaction (VEMI) Laboratory at the University of Maine, and is published by the University of Maine System.  

Credit: Apple App Store
Credit: Google play

Information about obtaining naloxone is available by calling 211 or submitting a request at maine.gov/dhhs/samhs/forms.shtml.  

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