July 18, 2023 – Narcan will soon be more accessible to the public, thanks to a new initiative by Heritage Behavioral Health Center.
“This initiative, in collaboration with the Macon County Health Department, allows us to work to continue to fulfill our mission by providing these harm reduction resources around our community,” said Mary Garrison, President and CEO of Heritage.
Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, can treat narcotic overdoses in emergency situations. As such overdoses persist as a national, state-wide and local crisis, Heritage officials look to increase Narcan’s availability locally. Although Garrison said it’s more accessible to the public than ever, Heritage is expanding Narcan availability through boxes placed inside and outside of its facility as well as throughout the community.
“I believe that having Narcan boxes available around our community is critical as it will save lives; one life lost is one too many,” Garrison said. “We must realize that our fellow citizens may be living with addiction and we must step up to provide support and care.”
Individual packages of Narcan nose spray are currently available in boxes located in each of Heritage’s public bathrooms, and Garrison said a box will soon be installed outside of their Main Street facility. She hopes to place another box in the downtown area—near Central Park, the Senator Severns Transit Center and the Decatur Public Library—hopefully in the next week.
“The opioid epidemic demands that we find ways to help people stay alive and Narcan does this,” Garrison said.
Other recent Heritage harm reduction strategies include sharps disposal containers in facility bathrooms and increased distribution of fentanyl and xylazine testing strips.
For more information, visit Heritage’s website HERE. For a video demonstrating how to administer Narcan, provided by Heritage, click HERE.
