Back in June of 2024 the Polk County Board of Commissioners approved of Naloxone/Narcan being provided by the Polk County Health Department to the community. “As part of our Opioid Advisory Council here in Polk County, we received funds from the Opioid Settlement, and so back in June, as part of an extensive package of prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts here in Polk County, the County did approve for public health to provide free Naloxone to folks in the community,” says Polk County Public Health Director Sarah Reese. “Obviously, with the appropriate training for both our staff and community members.”
Narcan is now being made more accessible to the public in an effort to help rapidly reverse an opioid overdose until a person can get further medical attention. Talking with Reese gave us insight into how Narcan can help save lives.
Reese shared with us what constitutes an opioid. “An opioid substance is a chemical that interacts with a very specific receptor in the brain and can cause breathing to become more shallow, and it becomes problematic and the reason people can die is because if they have too much opioids, it can cause people to become very sleepy and that opioid causes a reduction in the breathing rate which can then, unfortunately, lead to low oxygen levels causing damage to both the heart and the brain,” says Reese. “Unfortunately, that eventually can slow the heart down and stop if it’s not reversed.”
What are some examples of opioids? “Fentanyl, Heroine, Morphine, and Codeine,” says Reese. “There are a variety of different opioids, some that are prescription opioids, and some that are found out in the community.”
Reese says in the public health and medical world, Narcan/Naloxone is known as an opioid antagonist. “That means that the Narcan is going to attach to that opioid receptor in the brain, and then it is essentially going to reverse or block the effects of opioids,” says Reese. “The important part of using Naloxone is that we know what that opioid overdose might look like to decide if we are going to administer, and even before that, of course, calling 911.”
It is important to know what an opioid overdose looks like. This will help in deciding whether or not to administer Narcan. Some of the signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose would include blue lips and fingernails, a slow pulse, small pupils, absent or very slow breathing, and the inability to wake someone up, Reese says. “When we find someone we think may have overdosed, there are a few telltale signs that we look for,” says Reese. “Are they sleepy and can’t be woken up? Is their breathing really slow or absent, and are their pupils very small?”
Reese says Narcan/Naloxone should be given to a person who shows these signs and symptoms of an opioid overdose. It should also be given if there is an overdose suspected because we are told that there is. “Narcan can be distributed or given in two different ways; we call those the delivery systems,” says Reese. “It can be given with a nasal spray, and it can also be injected into the muscle.”
The Narcan that Polk County Public Health has available is the nasal spray. People may be wondering why the nose is a sound delivery system. “The first reason is its needle-free, which helps make it easier to use and helps give confidence to the person that might be responding,” says Reese. “The other reason is that the nose is the perfect place to absorb that medication quickly.” Overall, the nasal delivery system is very efficient in getting the medication working quickly in the body.
Reese says the most important step, even before administering Narcan, is to call 911. “Our emergency responders have more tools and training, and it’s really important that the individual receive immediate medical attention,” says Reese. “Time is always of the essence in an opioid overdose because, as I mentioned before, that opioid is slowing down that breathing and other systems, so it is really important that we administer that Narcan, but we also need that individual to get the proper medical attention as quickly as possible.”
Narcan is an opportunity to save a life, says Reese. There may be a time that someone administers Narcan, and the individual is not having an opioid overdose but is maybe having a different type of medical emergency that is presenting with the symptoms of an overdose. “It is important to know that you can’t harm someone by giving them Naloxone,” says Reese. “So, if I don’t have an opioid on board in my body and you give me Narcan, it’s not going to have a negative effect.”
Reese would like to hear from businesses that might be interested in having Narcan on hand in case of emergencies. “Businesses or organizations can plan training for their entity,” says Reese. “If there is a business, whether is a bank, or a hotel or a library, or whatever type of business that you have if you are interested in providing this training to your employees or to management or whatever group of people you are interested in.” Polk County Health can come on-site and provide training and distribution of Narcan kits while they are available.
Reese says there are lots of opportunities to access Narcan, and she says if folks have additional ideas about how it can be distributed, she would certainly be interested in hearing them.
The hope is that a person who spots an opioid overdose happening will be able to help. The bigger hope is that the person will be unafraid and willing to do what’s right. “Steve’s Law provides immunity to people calling 911 to help for an overdose and also requires that individual to stay with that person until medical help arrives,” says Reese. “Sometimes people will make a call and then leave, but really, we need that responder or intervener to stay with that person who needs medical assistance until emergency personnel arrives.”
Reese says together we can prevent an opioid overdose and save a life.
Visit the Polk County Health Department at 816 Marin Ave. in Crookston to pick up a Narcan kit, or call 218-281-3385 to schedule a training session for your business or origination.
Riverview Pharmacy in Crookston is a Naloxone Access Point Location so Narcan can be accessed through the pharmacy at Riverview Health.
Narcan is also available for purchase at various pharmacies.
