In 2015, the state of Nevada passed the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, which prevents a person from being punished if they administer naloxone or call 911 to respond to someone who may be overdosing from opioids. In 2023, the Larson Institute at the University of Nevada, Reno decided they wanted to develop a curriculum for a self-paced, online training for public defenders in the state to learn about overdose, the impact of the Good Samaritan Law, and what protections the law offers to people with substance use disorders and those who care for them.
Facente Consulting worked with the Larson Institute to develop a curriculum for an asynchronous training on Nevada’s Good Samaritan Law to increase public defenders’ knowledge of overdose and the impact of Good Samaritan Laws. In order to accomplish this, Facente Consulting identified examples of other Good Samaritan law trainings, assessed the research on the effectiveness of Good Samaritan laws and consulted with Nevada public defenders, whose legal expertise grounded the training content in the nuances of Nevada’s law. This training is intended to support Nevada public defenders in playing a role in reducing overdose in their state.