Best Buy : Campus Security Staff Certified to Treat Opioid Overdoses

John Vomhof Jr.Staff Writer

In late 2016, a car pulled up in the transit circle on the Best Buy Corporate Campus in Richfield, Minnesota. In the passenger seat, was a person who was in the middle of a drug overdose. The driver was simply looking for help.

Our corporate security officers and volunteer members of the Campus Emergency Response Team assisted the patient until paramedics arrived.

That incident spurred action from the team that works to keep our campus safe. As a result, Best Buy's security team recently became Minnesota's first corporate partner to be certified to administer Naloxone for the emergency treatment of an opioid overdose.

Working in conjunction with the Steve Rummler Hope Network, security team members received training on how to administer the drug, also known as Narcan. One member of the volunteer response team also underwent the training, and the company plans for all 20 volunteers to undergo future training.

The reality is that the Best Buy Corporate Campus is something of a small city. Thousands of employees, contractors and tenant staff work there. An additional 200 to 400 people visit on a daily basis. While there haven't been incidents on campus, the reality is that opioid-based medications are being prescribed by many doctors and the pills are becoming more powerful, which could lead to an accidental overdose.

'Best Buy has always been at the forefront of technology, and that pioneering spirit has rubbed off on our corporate security officers here at the corporate office,' said Kellen McWhite, Best Buy's senior manager of crisis management and security. 'While we hope we never need to put this Naloxone training to use, we wanted to ensure we have the training and equipment necessary to render proper aid to a person in distress.'

The Naloxone kits join the already impressive medical equipment Best Buy's security officers have available to them, including emergency oxygen and automated external defibrillators. All officers have taken first aid, CPR and emergency medical responder training.

'We are very excited to have been able to provide this training to Best Buy Security personnel,' said Sean O'Donnell, communications coordinator for the Steve Rummler Hope Network. 'This sets a model for other corporate offices and security departments across Minnesota and beyond.'