Audrain County Health Department to launch naloxone distribution program
MEXICO, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Audrain County Health Department will be offering naloxone to residents for free beginning on Friday, April 7.
The drug, also known as Narcan, is used to prevent an opioid overdose deaths. Other areas of Mid-Missouri have been offering naloxone at distribution events and at their county health departments.
“We are proud to be able to offer this program through the help of the Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH),” ACHD Administrator and CEO Craig Brace said in a press release. “We know through being able to offer this program to residents struggling with opioid addiction, this will undoubtedly save lives.”
The program is at no cost to either Audrain County residents or the ACHD. It is being paid for through the Missouri Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) using mony collected from national opioid settlements from drug manufacturers.
“The state is providing the Naloxone free to us, the training for our nursing staff and various pamphlets that will be included with every kit we give out,” Clinical Services Manager and nurse Becky Wieberg said. “The hope is to get the drug into as many hands of those affected by opioid addiction as possible to curb the amount of overdoses we are seeing.”
Each kit will contain two doses of Naloxone, a card instructing the resident how to administer it, a list of statewide addiction treatment centers and a card with tips on how to spot an oncoming overdose and a card on how to respond to an overdosing individual.
