Posted on Jan 4, 2024
Narcan saves lives from opioid overdoses, but it can be hard to find around Kansas City
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Narcan can be hard to find in Kansas City. This box inside the city health department provides free doses.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Despite efforts to make it more widely available, high prices mean Kansas City doesn't have enough doses for the people who need it most.
Casey Johnson stepped into the bathroom of a Westport bar recently and immediately sensed something was off.
She saw two still legs and hair grazing the floor in a neighboring stall.
Johnson knocked on the stall door. She yelled. But when Johnson got no response, she grabbed the naloxone she always carries, crawled under the stall and found a person struggling to breathe.
The nasal spray Johnson used next saved the person’s life.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Addiction experts and health care workers contend the medication should be in every medicine cabinet, first aid kit and purse. It should also be in the room anytime someone is using opioids.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Despite efforts to make it more widely available, high prices mean Kansas City doesn't have enough doses for the people who need it most.
Casey Johnson stepped into the bathroom of a Westport bar recently and immediately sensed something was off.
She saw two still legs and hair grazing the floor in a neighboring stall.
Johnson knocked on the stall door. She yelled. But when Johnson got no response, she grabbed the naloxone she always carries, crawled under the stall and found a person struggling to breathe.
The nasal spray Johnson used next saved the person’s life.
Naloxone, sold under the brand name Narcan, offers an over-the-counter medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdoses. Addiction experts and health care workers contend the medication should be in every medicine cabinet, first aid kit and purse. It should also be in the room anytime someone is using opioids.
Narcan saves lives from opioid overdoses, but it can be hard to find around Kansas City
Posted from kcur.org
Kansas City
Drugs
Pharmaceuticals
Substance Use
Edited 4 mo ago
Posted 4 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Accidental overdoses are a serious concern, health experts said. In November, the Missouri Child Fatality Review Program state panel released a report that revealed 43 children — including 10 under the age of 5 — died of fentanyl poisoning in the state in 2022. Thirty-two of those deaths were ruled accidental, up from four in 2020. The review program, which falls under the Missouri Department of Social Services, is considering how to address the trend, said Terra Frazier, a child-abuse pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital who chairs the panel.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has also been pushing efforts to study the issue of fentanyl overdoses. In November, he announced an overdose fatality review board to analyze fentanyl-related deaths and said the city’s health department would hire two investigators to investigate overdose fatalities.
Meanwhile, some groups that focus on harm reduction — helping drug users get supplies like naloxone to stay alive while they’re using — say too many bureaucratic obstacles still get in the way.
In Kansas City, a harm-reduction advisory committee formed this summer wants to remove some obstacles by working directly with drug users to find out how resources can best be deployed to help reduce opioid deaths. The task force includes a handful of treatment professionals but is driven by drug users.
“There’s a lot of needed attention on the subject right now,” said Melissa Smith, director of population health at KCCare Health Center in Kansas City, one of 25 organizations in the country to win the SAMHSA grant for harm-reduction efforts. “But we need to make sure that we’re listening to the voices of people who we are trying to help.”
..."Accidental overdoses are a serious concern, health experts said. In November, the Missouri Child Fatality Review Program state panel released a report that revealed 43 children — including 10 under the age of 5 — died of fentanyl poisoning in the state in 2022. Thirty-two of those deaths were ruled accidental, up from four in 2020. The review program, which falls under the Missouri Department of Social Services, is considering how to address the trend, said Terra Frazier, a child-abuse pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital who chairs the panel.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has also been pushing efforts to study the issue of fentanyl overdoses. In November, he announced an overdose fatality review board to analyze fentanyl-related deaths and said the city’s health department would hire two investigators to investigate overdose fatalities.
Meanwhile, some groups that focus on harm reduction — helping drug users get supplies like naloxone to stay alive while they’re using — say too many bureaucratic obstacles still get in the way.
In Kansas City, a harm-reduction advisory committee formed this summer wants to remove some obstacles by working directly with drug users to find out how resources can best be deployed to help reduce opioid deaths. The task force includes a handful of treatment professionals but is driven by drug users.
“There’s a lot of needed attention on the subject right now,” said Melissa Smith, director of population health at KCCare Health Center in Kansas City, one of 25 organizations in the country to win the SAMHSA grant for harm-reduction efforts. “But we need to make sure that we’re listening to the voices of people who we are trying to help.”
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It is an amazing antidote. Local EMT's, however believe they are enabling some addicts to stay addicted. Narcan is a form of harm reduction
Rich
Rich
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