Naloxone, nicknamed the “Lazarus drug” for its ability to quickly reverse an opioid overdose, is becoming easier to access in Springfield.
The city's fire department has placed 14 free naloxone distribution boxes at fire stations and the department’s training campus. Each box is stocked with overdose rescue kits containing naloxone, a pocket mask and treatment information. The timing coincides with August, which is International Overdose Awareness Month, culminating with International Overdose Awareness Day on Aug. 31.
Christopher Roush, battalion chief of emergency medical services and special operations for the Springfield Fire Department, said people can simply take what they need from the boxes.
"Get naloxone, get trained in how to use naloxone and be ready to respond if your neighbor or friend or loved one is in crisis in an overdose," Roush urged. "Because it's as simple as administering that life-saving medication to keep that overdose from becoming a fatality."
The first boxes were installed July 31, with the last of the 14 put in place Aug. 4. Roush added residents can visit Revive417.com for naloxone locations, as well as training on overdose response and CPR.
The boxes are already getting attention in Springfield. At least 40 rescue kits were picked up in the first few days before the fire department had started promoting the expansion to the program. Each box has a QR code linking people to additional resources. Roush pointed out the code can also help people find naloxone if a box is empty.
"We would just ask if the box is empty, there's no need to go up to the fire station. That's going to be all the supply that they have there locally. Just follow one of those QR codes to see where else you can get it in the community and know that we're going to restock that as quickly as we can," Roush emphasized.
Roush stressed the boxes can be accessed around the clock and are being supplied through a partnership with the Missouri Institute of Mental Health at the University of Missouri in St. Louis and the Springfield-Greene County Health Department.
Missouri News Service originally published this story and is a partner with KRCU Public Radio.
