NARCAN AWARENESS AND OPIOID OVERDOSE EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

Project leader: Chris Young

Overdose is a dangerous and deadly consequence of opioid use. A large dose of opioids depresses heart rate and breathing to such an extent that a user cannot survive without medical help. Naloxone (e.g., Narcan®, Kloxxado®) is an opioid receptor antagonist medication that can eliminate all signs of opioid intoxication to reverse an opioid overdose. It works by rapidly binding to opioid receptors, preventing it from activating them. Because of the huge increase in overdose deaths from prescription opioid misuse, there has been growing demand for opioid overdose prevention services. Naloxone can be used by non-medical personnel has been cost-effective and save lives.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation to improve layperson naloxone access. Chris Young with American Citizens Institute celebrated a great milestone in the effort to assist in the prevention of unnecessary opioid overdose death after gaining approval to administer naloxone to addicts and populations at risk of overdose in San Francisco County, Contra Costa County, and Sacramento County.

In 2018, the U.S. Surgeon General called for heightened awareness and issued a statement on its continued efforts to reveal that too little naloxone is dispensed in many of the areas that need it most. Through a revolutionary partnership with a unique vending machine company, American Citizen Institute will work to provide Narcan and other harm reduction inventory through IDS SOLUTIONS SMART VENDING MACHINE. IDS is commonly known for the dispensing of triplicate prescription medications in pharmacies, but the technology will easily dispense and track the lifesaving medications through this proprietary platform in communities and neighborhoods that need it most desperately. Chris was recently certified in the recognition of overdose symptoms and identifying the need for Narcan intervention. He will use his education to help plan and develop a Narcan awareness and overdose prevention campaign that we will disseminate to the public through radio and print PSAs. Chris recently remarked, “The certification and the approval of our organization to administer Narcan are the beginning phases of our involvement with this public health crisis and solidify our commitment to educating the public and saving lives.”