WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - A college student is seeking approval from the Westfield Board of Health to allow a program that will teach the high school students how to administer Naloxone, also known as Narcan. Oil spill causes temporary road closure in Westfield This initiative is expected to make students more confident to address an overdose situation and give them the power to save a life. An average of 22 young adults, ages 14 to 18 died in the U.S. each week in 2022 from drug overdoses. Harvard University student, Suhanee Mitragotri spent the past nine months creating an initiative to reduce this alarming number. "I think how students are taught how to use CPR, another life-saving skill, I think it is incredibly important that all students are taught how to use Naxolone and know what to do in an overdose situation," said Mitragotri. She and a board-certified emergency medicine and addiction medicine specialist, Dr. Scott Weiner hope to go into schools like Westfield High School and deliver the training themselves. However, the long-term goal is to inform teachers or health educators in the schools on how to deliver this training. "It would include training that would teach students how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and a step-by-step procedure as to what to do and when to administer Narcan," said Mitragotri. The Westfield Board of Health is one of many boards of health across the state the idea has been pitched to. "In theory, we know the more people trained in naloxone the better because emergencies happen whether or not there is an adult present or not so the more prepared the better," said Director of Westfield Public Health, Debra Mulvenna. But before a decision is made, the board of health plans to hear from Mitragotri herself.She will be presenting this initiative to the board, during their November 13th meeting. If they plan to move forward, the Director of Public Health suggests getting the full support of the school committee and the student's parents first. Local News Headlines Body found near Whitney Field in Westfield Dryer causes fire on Easthampton Road in Holyoke Brush fire burns 25 to 40 acres of land in Connecticut What you need to know about Massachusetts ballot question 5 WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.