Milestone: 10,000 naloxone orders filled through Pa. program
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission offered Narcan kits in an effort to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths at a recent recovery fair in the city of Washington. Additionally, Narcan is available from the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission and the state of Pennsylvania.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Narcan is a medication that reverses the effects of opioid overdose. It is available for people to order, at no cost, from the state, along with the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission and the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission. Pictured in this file photo are kits available through the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission that were on display at a recovery fair in August hosted by Harmony Life Center.
The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, Department of Health, and Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency last week announced a milestone, filling 10,000 orders of naloxone through a mail-based naloxone program.
“Naloxone is a life-saving, overdose reversal medication, and access to it is absolutely critical,” said DDAP Secretary Jen Smith. “Across the commonwealth, local and state partners in the drug and alcohol field are working each day to keep fellow Pennsylvanians alive and decrease the chances of folks suffering a fatal overdose, and the Wolf administration is grateful for our partners in this effort who help to make naloxone more readily available every day.”
A coalition between the Wolf administration, Prevention Point Pittsburgh, and NEXT Distro for Pennsylvania, the program was launched in 2020 and allows residents to request and receive naloxone for free in the mail.
To qualify for mail-based distribution, applicants must view a short training video, create an account on TRAIN PA, answer a few confidential questions, and provide mailing information.
According to data from the coalition, the program has significantly increased access to naloxone for people who need it, and more than 75% of people who received naloxone by mail said it was the first time they had obtained the medication.
Additionally, both the Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission and the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission provide naloxone, called Narcan, to people who request the medication.
Washington County residents can request a Narcan kit by visiting www.wdacinc.org/narcan-request.
Fayette County residents can ask for a kit by visiting www.fcdaa.org, clicking on “Services We Offer,” and selecting “I need to get a Narcan kit.”
People can also visit the drug and alcohol commission offices to pick up a kit.
Naloxone is a medicine that reverses an opioid overdose by restoring breathing if a person’s breathing has slowed or stopped because of an opioid overdose.
“It’s extremely important to have Narcan available. Overdoses in our county, like the rest of the country, have continued to increase, and (Narcan) has helped save individuals’ lives,” said Melissa Ferris, executive director of Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission.
According to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2021, an increase of nearly 15% from the 93,655 deaths estimated in 2020.
In Pennsylvania, overdose deaths rose by 16.4% in 2020, and continued rising to 5,438 reported overdose deaths in 2021, another 6% increase from the previous year.
Overdose deaths have been driven by the increase of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is cut into drugs like heroin and cocaine.
“Today, no drug is safe if you’re purchasing it off the street,” said Breanne Pugh, project coordinator for Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission. “Fentanyl is even being cut into marijuana now. People who don’t think they are going to overdose have become the individuals who first responders are treating, and they’re increasingly among the ones who don’t make it out alive because Narcan wasn’t available.”
Increasing awareness about the availability of naloxone is critical to reducing opioid-related overdose deaths, Ferris said.
“We’ve been trying really hard this year to be out in the community at different events and distributions to make sure people know what Narcan is, what it does, and trying to reduce the stigma about Narcan and someone who has a substance abuse disorder.”
Washington County Drug and Alcohol Commission has mailed 281 Narcan kits since the agency started providing the kits in 2021.
The commission also provides Narcan kits to first responders, social services, agencies, businesses, and organizations in the county.
“The fact is, you can save a life,” said Pugh. “It’s simple to use; you can’t mess it up.”
Pugh said the drug and alcohol commission has even received Narcan requests from people who don’t personally know someone with a substance abuse addiction, but who want to have the medication available in case it’s needed.
“My favorite thing is when we do events and someone wants it just because they’re acting in good faith and want to help someone,” said Pugh.
Ferris also suggested people request Narcan if they are prescribed an opioid medication after surgery in case they have a reaction to the medicine.
And Narcan is harmless if it’s administered to someone who is not having an opioid overdose.
The Washington and Fayette County Drug and Alcohol commissions will have Narcan available at events they are holding on Aug. 31 for International Overdose Awareness Day.
To learn more about how to get naloxone, visit pa.gov/opioids.