The original item was published from March 6, 2019 9:14 AM to January 27, 2020 8:47 AM
From large cities to small towns, there is little doubt that opioid abuse is a growing problem in communities across the United States, and the communities of Kansas are no exception.
On March 1, 2018, former Governor Jeff Colyer signed Executive Order 18-09 to create the Substance Use Disorder Task Force to investigate response options and assist in implementing a multifaceted statewide response. According to the Task Force report, since 2012, more than 1,500 Kansans have died from opioid or heroin overdoses and, in 2016 alone, more than 300 Kansans died from overdose.
One of the recommendation from the Task Force is that Narcan/Naloxone, a prescription nasal spray used for the rapid treatment of an opioid overdose, be distributed in high-risk areas. In efforts to do so, Task Force Chair and Chief Medical Officer of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Dr. Greg Lakin worked with Adapt Pharmaceutical Company, the creators of Narcan, to secure a free carton of the nasal spray for Kansas public libraries. Other public entities, such as YMCAs, high schools, colleges, and universities are eligible as well. Adapt has also agreed to share free educational materials along with nasal spray.
Toward the bottom of this message is a link to the request form to receive a free carton (2 doses) of Narcan for use at your library in the event of an opioid overdose. Please read the form carefully and submit it to the email address located at the bottom of page one. The form has been signed by Dr. Lakin so there is no need for you to secure a physician’s signature. Following the request form link is a short list of reference and educational links for your information about the Executive Order, the Task Force Report, how to identify a potential overdose, and product information.
The contact person at Adapt Pharmaceutical Company is Andrea Mazzini and she can be reached by email at andrea.mazzini@adaptpharma.com and I encourage you to contact her should you have any questions or would like to request education information about the use of Narcan or this program.
I hope that you will consider taking advantage of this offer and put safety measures in place to potentially help save the life of a patron or employee. Don’t make the assumption that your town is too small or your community is too nice for such a terrible thing to happen there.
Library Narcan Request Form
Narcan Product Information: https://www.narcan.com/
“Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit: Five Essential First Steps for First Responders” by the Substance Abuse on Mental Health Services Administration: https://store.samhsa.gov/system/files/five-essential-steps-for-first-responders.pdf
WebJunction link to opioid information: https://www.webjunction.org/news/webjunction/opioid-crisis-libraries.html
Executive Order 18-09: https://kslib.info/DocumentCenter/View/6913/EO-18-09?bidId=
Governor’s Task Force Webpage: http://www.preventoverdoseks.org/
Task Force Report in KGI: http://www.preventoverdoseks.org/download/GovSUDTaskForceReport_FINAL.pdf