Soon, CVS stores throughout Ohio will have naloxone available for over-the-counter purchase. This could help the amount of overdose deaths in Athens County.
Administering naloxone can mean the difference between surviving an opiate overdose or dying from one.
Soon, CVS Health stores throughout Ohio will have naloxone available for over-the-counter purchase. When administered, the drug reverses the effects of an opiate overdose, allotting enough time to get to a nearby hospital for treatment. In 2014, six Athens County residents died from an overdose, according to data from the Athens County Coroner’s Office. Two of those died while they were at OhioHealth O'Bleness Hospital.
The drug will be available in Ohio stores in March, allowing families with addicts or recovering addicts to purchase the drug in case of an overdose.
“The more narcan (naloxone) we get out there, the more lives we’re going to save,” James Gaskell, health director of the Athens City-County Health Department, said.
Free narcan kits are available at the Athens City-County Health Department, made possible by funding from a state grant. Gaskell added that the department offers classes to teach what to do when someone overdoses, which includes performing CPR and calling 911.
“I hope (CVS) gives them a little cheat sheet to remind people what to do when they suspect an overdose is happening,” Gaskell said.
Gaskell added that the availability of naloxone won’t increase the chance of someone starting to use opiates.
“People are concerned … but I don’t think it’s the driving force,” Gaskell said.
The safety and effectiveness of naloxone was reiterated by Tom Davis, vice president of pharmacy profession practices at CVS Pharmacy, said in a news release from CVS.
“By expanding access to this medication in our Ohio pharmacies … we can help save lives,” Davis said.
CVS has put naloxone in locations in Arkansas, California, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin.
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Dan Tierney, a spokesperson from the Office of the Ohio Attorney General, said a lot of families who have addicts or recovering addicts keep the drug available “in case something horrible happens.”
“The opioid epidemic is bad in Ohio,” Tierney said. “There’s multiple aspects we need to do to combat it.”
Tierney added that the drug is easy to administer through the nostrils and has an immediate effects on the brain. Tierney added that overdose deaths happen because breathing rates slow until the individual stops breathing.
"This marks an important step in our fight to combat addiction and I will continue to work for a bottom-up, comprehensive approach to the heroin epidemic,” U.S. Senator Rob Portman said in the news release.
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