Washington Regional Medical Center recently joined the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement’s (ACHI) NaloxHome program in an effort to fight opioid overdoses and save lives. The program provides naloxone at no charge for hospital emergency rooms to dispense to patients or caregivers of patients who have experienced or are at risk of an overdose.
Naloxone is a medication that can reverse the effects of opiate medications typically used for pain control and synthetic opioids like fentanyl. ACHI reports that drug overdose deaths in Arkansas rose 64% from 2019 to 2021 with 637 overdose deaths in 2021.
“Naloxone is both a safe and legal medication, and people who have been prescribed an opioid medication or use opioids in a recreational manner are advised to have naloxone on hand,” said Sammy Turner, MD, medical director of Washington Regional’s emergency department. “By being part of the NaloxHome program, Washington Regional is able to fulfill our mission of improving the health of the communities we serve by providing this life-saving medication and educating our community about naloxone use.”
Naloxone should be given if someone shows signs of an overdose such as shallow breathing, pinpoint pupils, clammy skin, or blue lips or fingertips. Call 911 after administering naloxone and begin CPR if the person’s heart is not beating or they are not breathing.