Heroin Antidote Narcan Now Available at Montgomery County’s Health Centers

By Mark Hostutler

Published: 7:09 am EDT June 13, 2016Published: June 13, 2016Updated: 7:09 am EDT June 13, 2016

The event is an opportunity for members of the public to learn about Naloxone, when and how to use it, and other resources available to those in need of treatment for substance use disorder. A NARCAN® Nasal Spray kit will be given out at the conclusion of the training (one kit per person), to the first 50 people who register and attend the distribution and educational event. Future events can be found at www.montcopa.org/getnarcan

The heroin antidote Narcan Nasal Spray is now available at Montgomery County’s three health centers, according to a staff report from Philly Voice.

The Montgomery County Health Department, in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Drug and Alcohol Programs, has made Narcan Nasal Spray kits available at the Norristown Health Center, the Willow Grove Health Center, and the Pottstown Health Center.

The antidote is available to anyone at risk of an opioid-related overdose. Narcan can also be dispensed to a family member, friend, or person who can assist an individual at risk of an opioid-related overdose.

The kits are available to eligible residents who are uninsured or those with financial difficulties that are unable to afford the co-pay at a participating pharmacy.

Opioid overdose deaths are currently one of the biggest health issues in the United States. According to a report from last year, Pennsylvania ranked ninth nationwide in drug overdose deaths at 18.9 per 100,000 people.

In Montgomery County, deaths due to opioids increased by 72 percent from 2009 and 2014, with just over half of them attributed to heroin.