Each year, more than 100,000 people in the United State die from a drug overdose. It’s a staggering number that doesn’t have to be that high.
Research has shown that overdose deaths can be lowered significantly with one simple step: Getting naloxone — also known as Narcan — into the hands of the general public. Studies have found that the survival rate of those who have overdosed can range from 92-99 percent after naloxone was administered by laypersons.
Naloxone is a medicine that attaches itself to the receptors in the brain that opioids at attracted to, blocking or reversing the effects of the opioids. It is typically administered through a nasal spray.
To help get naloxone in the hands of as many Northern Kentuckians as possible, the Northern Kentucky Health Department is taking part in Save a Life Day on Thursday, September 25. Save a Life Day started in 2020 in two counties in West Virginia, and has grown to now include organizations from all 50 states working to get as much naloxone into the hands of the public as possible. Last year, more than 84,000 doses were given out.
NKY Health will be distributing naloxone and other health resources at the following locations:
• Boone County Health Center, 7505 Burlington Pike, Florence, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Campbell County Health Center, 1098 Monmouth St., Newport, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m
• Grant County Health Center, 234 Barnes Road, Williamstown, from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. and 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Kenton County Health Center, 1415 James Simpson Jr. Way, Covington, from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m.
• Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky, 436 W. 13 th St., Covington, from Noon to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
• The PIER, 1002 Monmouth St., Newport, from Noon to 7 p.m.
• Florence Christian Church, 300 Main St., Florence, from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• NKY Health distributing free naloxone Transitions, 313 Madison Pike, Erlanger, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
“Studies have shown that community members perform the vast majority of overdose reversals,” said Seth Steele, NKY Health’s Harm Reduction Program Supervisor. “The reason for that is because timing is so vital. Friends and loved ones are generally the first to come across someone who has overdosed, and being able to administer naloxone immediately before EMS arrives can be the difference in saving that person’s life. In order to be able to do that, you have to have naloxone on hand. That’s why it’s so vital to get as much naloxone into the hands of the public as possible. Events like Save a Life Day really help with that effort.”
In 2024, NKY Health distributed more than 8,500 free naloxone kits to the public, including mailing kits to anyone in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. NKY Health also attends more than 250 events a year in which it hands out naloxone, and has free kiosks around the region where people can get it 24 hours a day. The agency also has “naloxboxes” that include naloxone and other lifesaving material on the walls near fire extinguishers and AED devices in various schools and government buildings throughout the region.
Northern Kentucky Health Department