The national overdose death rate nearly quadrupled over the last two decades, reaching 32.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After witnessing the growing problem of drug overdose in his hometown of New York City, Kevin Ourvan ’25 decided to take action.
Last fall, he established Cornell’s chapter of End Overdose — a nationwide non-profit organization working to reduce overdose deaths through medical intervention and public education.
“End Overdose’s purpose is to end overdose in our community through education, awareness and equipping individuals with the proper tools and knowledge to respond to an overdose in the event of one,” Ourvan said. “As a whole organization nationally, we have chapters on different campuses, and each chapter goes out to teach people how to respond to the issue.”
The End Overdose chapter at Cornell seeks to engage individuals on campus and in the greater Ithaca community, including student organizations and extracurricular groups. Ourvan said the easiest way for Cornell students and organizations to support their work is to schedule a training session with them.
“We tackle the issue in a more top-down way, where we go to clubs, fraternities, sororities, and residence halls and talk to them about overdose,” Ouvran said. “We are now trying to get into bars in the Ithaca community. Our work is not just restricted to the campus.”
End Overdose Club receives Narcan kits and fentanyl test strips from the national organization, which are distributed to the campus and local community, at no cost. Additionally, the chapter holds fundraisers including food and sticker sales to sustain its operations.
End Overdose trained 120 people in the community last spring and has instructed another 500 throughout the fall semester, according to Ourvan. The club welcomed seven new members this fall, including Kimia Shahriyar ’28, who previously worked with the New Jersey Harm Reduction Coalition and taught people how to use Narcan and Naloxone at Rutgers University.
Garret Sisler ’28 was also inspired to join the club, having prior experience in opioid prevention. Sisler was personally compelled to make a difference after witnessing the pain caused by a family member’s heroin addiction. In high school, he hosted an opioid crisis symposium in which he presented his research about addiction.
“Finding End Overdose was a continuation of that,” Sisler said. “Now, I can actually help and save lives and have more of an impact on ending overdose. A big reason I joined [End Overdose] is knowing that I’ll be able to learn how to educate other people about how and when to intervene during a suspected overdose.”
Club members emphasized how End Overdose’s work extends beyond Cornell’s campus. They aim to equip students with lasting skills to respond effectively in life-threatening situations.
“A really important stat that we like to reference is that in nearly 40 percent of overdoses, there was somebody else who was present,” Shahriyar said. “We want people to know that you could be that person. We need people to know what to do in an emergency like that. If you have the resources and knowledge to do something at that moment, you could be the deciding factor in saving someone’s life.”
Rohith Tsundupalli ’28 is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].
Matt Michailoff ’28 is a Sun Contributor and can be reached at [email protected].