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INDIANAPOLIS — People who are most vulnerable to a drug overdose will now have medication that saves lives delivered directly to their hands.
Indianapolis EMS medics responding to an overdose will offer kits to patients, their families, friends or bystanders. The kits include two doses of intranasal naloxone, a resource card with a QR code to the program’s webpage, how to sign up for text alerts about an overdose surge in Marion County and educational materials on recognizing an overdose and administering naloxone.
The initiative is part of the “Naloxone Leave Behind” project, in tandem with the Marion County Public Health Department.
The program’s goal is to reduce overdose deaths in Marion County by delivering the opioid reversal medication naloxone directly to those who are statistically at higher risk of fatally overdosing in the future.
“Indianapolis EMS stands among those who work on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic in our community, where seconds can mean the difference between life and death,” said Daniel O’Donnell, chief of Indianapolis EMS. “Increased access to naloxone can greatly increase survival chances in overdose situations, which can lead to more people seeking treatment to break the hold that addiction has on so many.”
Most people who fatally overdosed in Marion County in the first half of the year – about 62% −died in a home, according to a new report by the coroner’s office. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, continues to rank the most common substance driving up overdose deaths in the Indianapolis metro area.
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How to sign up for ‘bad batch,’ overdose surge text alerts
To receive texts about bad drug batches or overdose spikes in Marion County, text SOAR to 765-358-7627.
Texts will be sent when a bad drug batch is detected, when a neighborhood sees a spike in overdose or when police conduct a drug seizure in an area — a move that research has shown disrupts the drug supply and increases overdose. The program, called the Community Harm Reduction and Improved Outcomes Team (CHARIOT), is part of the statewide nonprofit Overdose Lifeline, which aims to help individuals impacted by substance-use disorders. The Office of Public Health and Safety has partnered with the organization.
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Other ways to get Narcan in Indianapolis
Narcan, the common name brand for naloxone, can be requested through Overdose Lifeline website at overdoselifeline.org. The supplies can be delivered anonymously.
Contact reporter Sarah Nelson at sarah.nelson@indystar.com
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