Those who are concerned about or personally use opioids had the opportunity to get free overdose medication as part of Narcan Access Day, June 29th.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), Iowa Board of Pharmacy and Iowa Pharmacy Association sponsored the event, giving out about 2,000 free two-pack Narcan kits to 350 pharmacies in Iowa. Narcan is a prescription nasal spray that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. Washington County Ambulance Director Richard Young shares how Narcan can save a person’s life, “If that patient is just about ready to quit breathing it’ll reverse the effects of the overdose so they do not stop breathing.”

Young says if a person stops breathing for 3-4 minutes they are clinically considered deceased, and those few minutes can mean the time it takes for emergency personnel to reach the patient, “Because [if] you think about it just for us to drive across town sometimes it takes the ambulance 3-4 minutes, or sometimes longer depending on traffic you know if people don’t pull over or get out of our way.”

If someone you know is having an overdose Young advises to call 911 immediately. The IDPH recommends if you don’t have Narcan, to perform rescue breathing, put the person on their side if they are breathing independently, and to not slap or forcefully stimulate the person or put them in a cold bath or shower. To learn more about responding to an overdose click here.