LOCALIZE IT: Naloxone access improving, but short of hopes

EDITORS/NEWS DIRECTORS:

Access to naloxone, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses, has increased dramatically in recent years. But experts and advocates say more needs to be done to make sure it's available when needed.

The nationwide overdose crisis deepened early in the coronavirus epidemic. Deaths linked to overdoses from all drugs remain at a record level of more than 100,000 a year nationally. The majority are connected to powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

Since 2016, the federal government has allowed and encouraged use of federal funds to buy naloxone, a drug best known under the brand name Narcan but also available in generic forms. It's available as both a nasal spray and an injectable liquid.

In some communities, health officials or nongovernmental harm reduction organizations or both have aggressive programs to distribute the antidote to people who use drugs or are around those who do. In some places, it's being provided primarily for first responders.

Under standing orders in every state, it can be bought without a prescription in pharmacies that carry it. And there's one organization that sends it to people who use drugs across the country.

Here are some tips and resources for localizing the story. Find AP's story about naloxone access here.

YOUR STATE'S DATA

— Federal fatal overdose data is available on a website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The numbers show the known and estimated overdose death figures for 12-month periods. The most recent available are through August 2022. Data on deaths linked to specific drugs can be found on a dropdown menu under the “Options” header. And data by state can be found under “Select Jurisdiction” to the right of the graph.

— Data on how much naloxone has been dispensed at retail pharmacies by year and state, from 2012 through 2021, is available on an American Medical Association website. These numbers do not reflect naloxone given out by health departments or harm reduction groups.

— The Legislative Analysis and Policy Association has a report, current as of August 2020, on state laws surrounding naloxone.

— Opioid Settlement Tracker, run by researcher Christine Minhee, includes details on opioid lawsuit settlements between companies and state and local governments as well as details on how the funds will be allocated.

— Experts convened by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health released principles in 2021 on how settlement money should be used. The implementation tools call for naloxone funding.

QUESTIONS/REPORTING TIPS

— To understand how naloxone is distributed in your area, check in with state or local public health agencies. Nongovernmental harm reduction groups — many of which are listed here — may have a different perspective on how well efforts work in the area. The harm reduction groups often receive naloxone through government grants.

— Are elected officials or health department officials resistant to the idea of distributing naloxone generally or to any specific groups?

— Officials and advocates can be asked if there's enough naloxone available to meet the demand in the community, both for first responders and for people who use drugs and those who are around them.

— Also ask officials and advocates to detail efforts to distribute naloxone to people who use drugs. And if there are none, ask the reason.

— For state and local government officials who are or will be involved in deciding how to use funds from settlements of opioid lawsuits: Will naloxone be part of the strategy? Why or why not?

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Localize It is an occasional feature produced by The Associated Press for its customers’ use. Questions can be directed to Katie Oyan at koyan@ap.org.