SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — In 2024, Utah had 664 drug overdose deaths, with 60% of the deaths having a potential bystander who could have intervened by calling 911 or administering naloxone, according to the Salt Lake Harm Reduction Project (SHRP).
Naloxone is a prescription medication used to reverse opioid overdoses and can be administered through a nasal spray or muscle injection.
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“Having access to Narcan helps saves lives,” said Dr. Omar Syed, an admission medicine doctor at the University of Utah. “It allows patients have a return to normalcy and engage in care in a way that they wouldn’t if they had died.”
Improving access
A national study found that while 78% of respondents had access to naloxone, only 27% had it with them at the time of the survey, and 69.4% kept it at their residence.
To increase access to naloxone, SHRP created a “Naloxey-Boxey,” a box that allows people to pick up naloxone anonymously or after hours. This initiative aims to make it easier for people to have naloxone on hand when it’s needed, potentially saving lives during opioid overdoses.
Naloxey-Boxeys. Courtesy: MacKenzie Bray…