Press

The program seeks to reduce opioid overdose deaths as they've climbed to record levels.

Any Wisconsin resident can now get free naloxone, the lifesaving opioid-overdose reversal drug, by mail. Like many others, the state has experienced a tragic and preventable rise in overdose deaths. An Indigenous harm reduction group is engaged in launching the mailing program, in the context of Indigenous communities suffering more from Wisconsin’s crisis than any other demographic.

On a warm winter night, a small group of harm reduction workers in Charleston, West Virginia, stuffed the trunk of a gray car with hundreds of kits containing sterile syringes, light blue tourniquets, packets of alcohol swabs, little balls of cotton, and the opioid-overdose antidote, naloxone. All of the ingredients to prevent a fatal overdose and inject drugs without contracting a viral infection.

On a warm winter night, a small group of harm reduction workers in Charleston, West Virginia, stuffed the trunk of a gray car with hundreds of kits containing sterile syringes, light blue tourniquets, packets of alcohol swabs, little balls of cotton, and the opioid-overdose antidote, naloxone. All of the ingredients to prevent a fatal overdose and inject drugs without contracting a viral infection.

On a warm winter night, a small group of harm reduction workers in Charleston, West Virginia, stuffed the trunk of a gray car with hundreds of kits containing sterile syringes, light blue tourniquets, packets of alcohol swabs, little balls of cotton, and the opioid-overdose antidote, naloxone. All of the ingredients to prevent a fatal overdose and inject drugs without contracting a viral infection.

Syringe exchange and harm reduction programs don’t just hand out clean needles, they can provide a safe place for drug users to find care and a path to treatment, says Jamie Favaro of Next Harm Reduction. From handing out needles on the streets to founding a harm reduction nonprofit, Favaro has worked to change the way people see and treat drug users.

With Philadelphia’s “Hot Vax Summer” in full swing and restaurants back open for business, professional chef Aya Iwatani is steadfast when it comes to personal protective equipment — in this case, naloxone and fentanyl test strips.

When I walk into my local pharmacy to pick up a naloxone kit, I don’t need to present a prescription. I don’t even need to state my reason for needing naloxone (I’m an opioid-dependent pain patient and I frequently interview people who use illicit opioids). The pharmacist asks whether I prefer the nasal spray or the injectable version, then takes me through a five-minute orientation, explaining how to use it to save someone else’s life. Then I leave with my kit.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. — Vicki Rhodes will again place black balloons around the squares of Hagerstown, Greencastle, Pa., and Mercersburg, Pa., on March 6 in memory of her daughter, Teri, and others who have lost their lives to addiction.

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ (DHSS) Division of Public Health DPH) will allow that state’s residents to access Naloxone free by mail.

The Delaware Department of Health & Social Services’ (DHSS’s) Division of Public Health (DPH) announced Friday, Dec. 11, that Delawareans struggling with addiction can now order free naloxone by mail.

DOVER — The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ Division of Public Health announced last week that Delawareans struggling with addiction can now order free naloxone by mail.

"This is such a critical step forward in saving more sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, sisters, and brothers, colleagues, neighbors and friends," said Delaware Health and Social Services Secretary Molly Magarik.

RESTON, Va. — With so much job loss, isolation and grief caused by the pandemic, It’s no surprise experts have feared how all of this would impact the drug epidemic in America.

September 24 kicks off New Jersey’s second annual Free Naloxone Day when pharmacies across the state will give away doses of the opioid overdose reversal medicine commonly known as “Narcan.” New Jersey should be commended for making this life-saving medicine free and easily available throughout the state for the next three days - but this does not go far enough. If we truly want to end the overdose crisis, every day should be free naloxone day in New Jersey.

Community organization partners with PDOH and national non-profit to ensure citywide access to overdose reversal drug.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation was in the throes of another public health crisis: the opioid epidemic.

LANSING, MI-- The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has launched an online portal where community organizations can request free naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses and saves lives.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the nation was in the throes of another public health crisis: the opioid epidemic.

More than 2 million Americans struggle with opioid use disorder. Opioids account for a majority of drug overdose deaths, the leading cause of accidental death in the US. It's a crisis that's been a priority for officials at the federal, state and local levels for years.

Before coronavirus, drug users coming to the Harm Reduction Center in Asbury Park to exchange dirty needles for clean ones would be warmly greeted by staff, who would ask how they were doing and whether they wanted counseling or other support. It was personal, on purpose.

Now, site coordinator Robert Lowry is handing kits of clean syringes and test strips through a window, separated from the population he’s trying to help by a wall, gloves and a mask.

During this time of shuttered office hours and restricted access to services, those who offer free naloxone want at-risk individuals and their families to know they can still get the lifesaving drug, either in person or through the mail.

A west Michigan nonprofit focused on helping those impacted by the opioid crisis is bolstering up its resources to continue providing help as the coronavirus outbreak spreads across the state.

The Grand Rapids Red Project will mail you Naloxone, also known as narcan, for free.

In places where needle exchanges are scarce or even illegal, one online, mail-based needle exchange is trying to get people safe injection supplies and overdose reversal materials.

As the nation’s opioid epidemic claims an average of 130 American lives every day, clinics and other medical services stand ready to help. But many drug users don’t seek treatment partly because of the stigma that follows addiction, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).

Ideally, opioid addiction could be prevented altogether. But failing that, strategies to make drug use safer can curb opioid-related death.

Recognizing the limited availability of naloxone, one company aims to sell the opioid overdose reversal drug online without needing a doctor’s prescription in all 50 states, including Virginia.

Since people can already order fentanyl and other harmful drugs via the darknet, NEXT wants to make obtaining items that reduce harm just as easy to get.

What I’ve learned is that [syringe exchange programs] are everywhere,” says Jamie Favaro, founder of Next Harm Reduction. “Even if we’re unsanctioned, unfunded, there are underground syringe exchanges across this country. And I’m finding out about new ones every day.”