Narcan use is a part of the special “Opioids in Indiana: There Is Hope”, which will air Thursday, Aug. 30, at 7 p.m. on 93 WIBC.
STATE WIDE–Narcan is being used to stop overdoses in almost every part of Indiana. A map published on the Indiana state website shows that in the last month Narcan, or Naloxone, has been used primarily in the larger cities, but also in rural areas at least once in the majority of Indiana’s 92 counties.
LINK: The map that shows the use of Narcan in Indiana
In the past two years more money has been provided by the state and federal government to make Narcan available to most police officers.
Indianapolis, Evansville, South Bend, Lake County and Lafayette have the highest number of uses of Narcan. Ft. Wayne, though the state’s second-largest city, has just as few as some of the rural counties.
“Narcan’s a great thing and the fact that it has gone from something that was only available on ambulances and in emergency rooms, I think is something that society has evolved to,” said Scott Watson, an addiction counselor with Heartland Intervention.
He said he thinks there are some concerns about Narcan being used by people who aren’t necessarily trained medical professionals.
“But, I think those concerns are minimal. And, I think overall the availability of Narcan saves lives and I think it’s something society can be proud of,” he said.
Despite efforts to cut down on the number of opioids prescribed in the last two years, drug overdose deaths in the U.S. were up by at least 1,000 from 2016 to 2017.
The use of Narcan doesn’t indicate deaths, but in fact indicates where an overdose was caught and an attempt was made to save the person’s life.
PHOTO: IStock/Kirisa99
