FARMINGTON – Naloxone (such as Narcan) is a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose. This medication blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and restores breathing.
In Franklin County, Healthy Community Coalition has been identified as the Community Distributor for naloxone. This means anyone in the community who feels they need access to naloxone can contact HCC to receive a free naloxone kit along with education on how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose.
The program is anonymous and community members will not be asked any identifying information.
Governor Janet Mills has made combating the opioid crisis in Maine a top priority with a focus on preventing overdose deaths and creating more resources for treatment and recovery. One of the priority areas of the Maine Opioid Response Strategic Action plan is to make sure naloxone is readily available to anyone.
Naloxone can be given by injection, but for community distribution it is available as a nasal spray. Naloxone has no potential for abuse. If it is given to a person who is not experiencing an opioid overdose side effects are rare.
If naloxone is administered to a person who is experiencing an opioid overdose, it can produce withdrawal symptoms and medical follow-up care is strongly encouraged. It does not reverse overdoses that are caused by non-opioid drugs.
If you or a loved one is at risk for overdose, please contact Ashley McCarthy at 779-2463 or amccarthy1@fchn.org or Tracy Harty at 779-2830 or tharty@fchn.org to set up an appointment.
Drop-in hours are additionally offered every Tuesday from 10 a.m.-noon or Thursday from 1-3 p.m.
If you have the time to be worried about the well-being of heroin dealers and heroin users. I’d suggest, instead of wasting your time or money on “ Narcan”, just let the Franklin County Sheriffs Office know who the users and dealers are. Fun fact, the sheriffs are good at what they do and they will address these very dangerous “problem” people. None of us need or want users and dealers of death products in our community or near our kids. A lot of discussion of late on helping NPOs. How about helping the users and dealers that are destroying our community into jail where they belong? Sometimes you have to step up and do the right thing.
Peter, spot on, can’t jail them until our DA stops giving out plea deals like candy. It’s a repeat business with a revolving door. You see the same names every month, arrested again and released again. Has to be extremely frustrating for law enforcement who work hard to build a case and then it gets thrown out or they’re given a plea deal.
Why do peop!e think that providing a safety net is an answer to combating opioid abuse?
Taxed Enough…because they all are snowflakes
Folks might want to remember that it could be a child accidentally overdosing
You can’t help those who won’t help themselves!!
Believe it or not I dont mind giving anyone a hand.What bothers me is all these people that are bound and determine to protect the right of these people to screw themselves up time after time after time and expect me to pay for it. Where does their rights stop and mine begin. How right is it to fix them and send them back to their addiction. If your action does not result in them leaving their problem behind can you really say you done the right thing. It seems you can not make anyone do the right thing but you can support their bad decisions. All I know is you can not walk some one elses path of life for them,there is no pill or legislation for personal responsibility, and you cant fix stupid.