The Recovery is Health, Health is Recovery Lunch & Learn Series is sponsored by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare in partnership with Recovery Idaho, Idaho Harm Reduction Project, and the Northwest ATTC. 

The first part of this session, presented by Evan Burke of the Idaho Harm Reduction Project, will offer a brief overview of the data on opioid overdose in Idaho and the response to it by government and community-based organizations. It will cover how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose using overdose reversal medications such as Narcan nasal spray and intramuscular naloxone injection. Guidance about opioid overdose response will also include harm reduction informed practices that can be incorporated into an individual’s drug use to reduce their risk of overdose.

In the second part of the session, Norma Jaeger of Recovery Idaho will talk about the RxAware Program, which will address risks associated with opiate drugs and alternatives for pain management.  

About the presenters:

Evan Burke has been working with people who use drugs in Idaho with the Idaho Harm Reduction Project since November of 2021. In his role as Community Relations Program Manager he facilitates harm reduction outreach to both individuals and organizations interested in either accessing harm reduction services or incorporating them into their programming. Originally from San Francisco, CA, Evan got involved in harm reduction in 2017 and continues to find it an incredibly restorative and joyful endeavor. 

Norma Jaeger has spent more than 30 years developing and managing public mental health and substance abuse programs throughout the Northwest. She served as Manager of Offender Programs for the Idaho Department of Correctio and as the Idaho Supreme Court’s statewide drug court and mental health court coordinator. She served three terms on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and was recognized with their Stanley M. Goldstein Hall of Fame award.  She was on the adjunct faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice at Boise State University for 15 years and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Public Policy and Administration at Boise State University. She is the Executive Director of Recovery Idaho.