Reversing a fentanyl overdose with naloxone

Medical examiner Dr. Steven Campman told 60 Minutes that more than two doses of naloxone, a life-saving drug that can reverse opioid overdoses, might be necessary to save the life of someone who has overdosed on fentanyl. “60 Minutes” is the most successful television broadcast in history. Offering hard-hitting investigative reports, interviews, feature segments and profiles of people in the news, the broadcast began in 1968 and is still a hit, over 50 seasons later, regularly making Nielsen’s Top 10.

Harnett County Naloxone in Schools Policy

Fentvic is tracking policy for Naloxone in schools across the state. To make the policies easier to find, a table has been added to this page. Harnett County Schools has been added to the table.

If you have information on a county not recorded in the table, please share the URL with us by sending it to naloxone@fentvic.org.

Wake County Naloxone in Schools Policy

Fentvic is tracking policy for Naloxone in schools across the state. To make the policies easier to find, a table has been added to this page. Wake County Schools has been added to the table.

If you have information on a county not recorded in the table, please share the URL with us by sending it to naloxone@fentvic.org.

Naloxone distribution efforts help fight opioid crisis in NC

Watch the video and read the article on the WRAL TV5 News website.

Naloxone is now widely carried by first responders and police. Distribution efforts have also helped make the medication available to community partners.

Naloxone has quickly become a central part of harm reduction efforts nationally and within North Carolina.

The medication comes in two main forms: an injection and nasal spray. Both work to save lives by reversing the effects of an opioid overdose.

Naloxone is now widely carried by first responders and police. Distribution efforts have also helped make the medication available to community partners.

“Harm reduction is the first line of defense we have. It is the on the ground, in the community response. It is by people with lived experience for people with lived experience,” shared Elyse Powell, executive director of the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition.

Efforts to bring naloxone into school systems are also expanding, including in Wake County Schools. School officials tell WRAL News training efforts are underway to prepare for the distribution of the medication to schools this year.

Wake County to take fight against opioid addiction and overdoses to the streets

Read the original article on the News & Observer website (may be behind a pay wall).

Wake County will work with 13 community organizations specializing in naloxone distribution, recovery support, housing services and more to combat the effects of the opioid epidemic. Durham County Sheriff’s Dept.

Lindsey Humphreys has been recovering from opioid addiction for the last five years, she said.

She’s known people in Wake County who have died from opioids because they didn’t have access to naloxone, a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of opioid overdose.

“I decided to be part of the solution and just started to distribute this,” she said. “I have been doing it for the last couple of years in the memory of some of my friends who passed.”

Humphreys is the executive director of Illuminate NC, an organization that helps distribute naloxone in Wake and Vance counties. Illuminate distributes about 300 naloxone units a month, she said.

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Two Narcan vending machines in Durham used to combat drug overdoses

Durham has installed two Narcan vending machines as part of a broader effort to make treatment for drug overdoses more accessible.

Read the original article and watch the video on the WRAL TV5 News website.

Durham has installed two Narcan vending machines as part of a broader effort to make treatment for drug overdoses more accessible.

Two Narcan vending machines are now available to the public in Durham at:

Durham County Department of Public Health, 414 E. Main St.
Durham County Detention Center, 219 S. Mangum St.

Federal health leaders visited Durham on Wednesday to discuss the importance of making Naloxone, an over-the-counter drug sold under the name Narcan, more readily available. Among the visitors were Dr. Rahul Gupta, who oversees the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Narcan is a lifesaving drug that can help reverse overdoses. During Wednesday’s visit to the detention center, Gupta said free access to the treatment is a game changer.

“Every time this happens, it’s a leading effort for the country as an example for the nation, for the state to do that.,” Gupta said. “Are there enough across the country? No. This why I’m here today … to exemplify the leading efforts right here in Durham County.”

Gupta said overdoses in North Carolina have declined in recent years, citing a 14% decrease in overdoses in the state compared to a 5% national decrease.

The vending machine at the detention center will be accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week, while the vending machine at the Department of Public Health will be open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

People at risk for opioid overdose, including those struggling with opioid use disorder or taking high doses of opioid medications, are recommended to carry Narcan.

Durham County Department of Public Health, 414 E. Main St.

Durham County Detention Center, 219 S. Mangum St.

Barb Walsh. Say Fentanyl Out Loud Without Shame. Day of Recovery. Lexington, NC on 8/10/2024

Barb Walsh Executive Director of fentvic.org urges Davidson County School Board to install naloxone in ALL schools to save student lives from fentanyl. Race Against Drugs Day of Recovery event in Lexington, North Carolina on August 10, 2024.

NC schools should have naloxone, train staff on signs of drug abuse, student group says

Read the original article on the WRAL News5 website.

The State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council drafted model legislation to address a problem they’re seeing among classmates.

Some North Carolina students want to do something about rising drug use and mental health issues among young people.

On Thursday, a student group told the State Board of Education that schools should have wellness teams to help intervene when they see problems.

Sarah Beitar, a member of the State Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, said she knows someone at her Harnett County high school who overdosed.

“We have freshmen, so children as young as 14 and 15, having to deal with these topics of overdose and making sure that they’re being safe,” she said.

The Fentanyl Death Crisis in America

Medication for reversing overdose is life-saving—if used quickly and correctly.

KEY POINTS

Fentanyl is a major threat causing overdose deaths in the United States.
Young people are unknowingly taking fentanyl and dying.
Fentanyl smoking is contributing to overdose and speedballing deaths.
Government and private agencies are cracking down on illegal fentanyl, but it’s an uphill fight.

“It is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced.” says Anne Milgram, Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), referring to the threat of fentanyl in the United States. She should know.

We still have record deaths, and that’s after the DEA seized more than 80 million fentanyl-laced fake pills and nearly 12,000 pounds of fentanyl powder so far in 2024 . The fentanyl seizures represent more than 157.6 million deadly doses; 70% of the counterfeit pills contain a lethal dose of fentanyl. Sometimes, the drug is smoked and as with intravenous injection, speeds access to the brain, further endangering users.

The best new prevention approach, the “One Pill Can Kill” initiative led by the DEA, is amplified by the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) and other volunteers educating the public and seeking to prevent flooding of the U.S. with fentanyl and fentanyl-laced fake pills resembling Xanax, Oxycontin, Adderall, Vicodin and other popular prescription medications—but with a deadly twist. The counterfeit pills, more often than not, contain a lethal dose of fentanyl.

“CADCA and its 7,000 coalition members across the nation have worked tirelessly to address the issue of fentanyl-laced fake pills that are poisoning our nation’s youth by planning and implementing comprehensive, data-driven strategies, with multiple public and private partners to address community conditions causing this problem,” said CADCA’s president and CEO, retired Army general Barrye L. Price.