Access to naloxone and increased options for medication-assisted treatment may be aiding in fighting the opioid crisis in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. In Iowa, in 2005 there were 67-opioid related deaths, and in just over a decade that number had more than tripled to 206 in 2017. Preliminary data for 2018 indicates a reduction in deaths, with 89 in the first eight months of 2018, compared to 137 in the same time period the previous year. One contributing factor could be the expanded availability to naloxone. Also called Narcan, naloxone can be used to reverse an opioid overdose. IDPH has distributed nearly 3,000 Narcan nasal spray kits to the public, Department of Corrections, EMS providers, hospital emergency departments and the Department of Public Safety.

Last summer, on June 29th, about 2,000 of the two-pack kits were given to 350 pharmacies in Iowa as part of Narcan Access Day. At that time, Washington County Ambulance Director Richard Young told KCII News, “If that patient is just about ready to quit breathing it’ll reverse the effects of the overdose so they do not stop breathing.” Young says the time that the medication helps a person breath can give emergency crews the minutes they need to reach the patient.

If someone you know is having an overdose call 911 immediately.

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