HOW TO GET NALOXONE

GET NALOXONE (NARCAN)

Naloxone is administered when someone is showing signs of opioid overdose. The medication can be given by intranasal spray and by intramuscular injection. Like EpiPens or a first-aid kit component, having naloxone readily available can be very helpful in a crisis. Naloxone is not a toxic drug and cannot be used to get high. Rescuing with Naloxone will not cause overdose, so when in doubt, use it.

Naloxone can very quickly restore normal respiration to a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of using heroin, prescription opioids, or accidentally ingesting drugs laced with opioids. Effects last 30-90 minutes; usually sufficient for short acting opioids, but medical attention should always be sought.

If we can act early when a person shows signs of an overdose, we can work quickly to help save a life.‍

TO ACCESS FREE NARCAN

Contact Us
For free Narcan, contact our office at 707-472-2312 or at bhrsprevention@mendocinocounty.gov


Contact MCAVHN Care & Prevention Network

148 Clara Ave
Ukiah, CA 95482
(707) 462-1932


Qualified organizations and entities can request free Narcan through the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)

Qualified organizations and entities include, but are not limited to:

  • First Responders

  • Emergency Medical Services (EMS)

  • Fire Authorities

  • Law Enforcement, Courts, and Criminal Justice Partners

  • Veteran Organizations

  • Homeless Programs

  • Schools & Universities

  • Libraries

  • Religious Entities

  • Community Organizations

To find out more and apply for free Narcan through the Naloxone Distribution Project visit www.dhcs.ca.gov/individuals/Pages/Naloxone_Distribution_Project.aspx.

If your patients are in need of Narcan and have Partnership/Medi-Cal:

Doctors, please prescribe it for them. Partnership/Medi-Cal will pay for it and they can get it from their local pharmacy. Narcan should be prescribed to all patients who are on long-term opioids. It is difficult to predict which patients who take opioids are at risk for an overdose. Many patients do not feel they are at risk for overdose. Prescribing to all patients on opioids will help them understand Narcan is being prescribed for risky drugs, not risky patients.

Here is a list of Guidelines for Co-Prescribing:

Assembly Bill 2760 REQUIRES doctors to prescribe Naloxone to patients who are...

  • Prescribed 90 or more morphine equivalent milligrams.

  • Prescribed an opioid co-currently with a benzodiazepine.

  • At an increased risk for overdose.‍

TOOL KITS & HOW-TO RESOURCES

Adapted from Ventura County Behavioral Health / www.venturacountyresponds.org

Related Links

  • Overdose Rescue

  • Naloxone & Overdose FAQ

  • Naloxone Saves Lives Campaign