Community Narcan Distribution Program underway

Date: 03/28/2023

Thanks to a three-year Health Resources and Services Administration federal grant through the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program, Northern Light Sebasticook Valley Hospital is collaborating with local organizations on a Community Narcan Distribution Program. 

The goal is to expand the use of the life-saving drug, Narcan, to reduce overdose deaths in Maine, which exceeded 700 in 2022. State reports show Narcan is making a difference. Of the 9,394 reported non-fatal overdoses in the state last year, 2,200 were reversed thanks to community members carrying Narcan. 

Through our program, we have trained more than a dozen local organizations how to use Narcan and trainings continue in the community. Now that Narcan has been recommended by the FDA for over-the-counter use, it is being considered as another important tool in every first aid kit. 

For more information about an upcoming training, please contact Sharon at skimball@northernlight.org.