State Senators kick off campaign by Smoky Mountain MCO to distribute overdose-reversal kits in WNC

Press release from Smoky Mountain MCO:

State Senators Terry Van Duyn, a Buncombe County Democrat, and Jim Davis, a Macon County Republican, joined forces Tuesday in Asheville to support Smoky Mountain MCO’s new campaign to distribute more than 2,600 free opioid overdose reversal kits in western North Carolina.

In an effort to help stem rising numbers of accidental drug overdoses, Smoky is partnering with the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC) to distribute NARCAN® nasal spray, the first and only naloxone nasal spray approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, through NCHRC’s existing networks. NARCAN® is an opioid antagonist indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdoses and can be administered by any person, in any location, while awaiting emergency assistance. Used correctly, the nasal spray can reverse the effects of an overdose on opioid drugs, such as heroin and prescription painkillers.

Nationally, the rate of opioid overdose deaths has increased 200 percent since 2000, and unintentional drug overdoses threaten to become the leading cause of accidental death in North Carolina. In January, the governor’s Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force opioid abuse subcommittee, co-chaired by Smoky CEO Brian Ingraham, recommended increasing access to naloxone to help fight this epidemic.

“Our sheriffs, hospital administrators and treatment providers here in western North Carolina are all on the same page: heroin and opioid addiction is a very real problem throughout the region,” said Smoky’s Ingraham. “The state task force saw an epidemic stretching to all corners of the state. True solutions will take hard work by many people over many years, and this initiative will both save lives in the here and now and pave the way for future efforts.”
Smoky, a public managed healthcare organization, will utilize $100,000 in Medicaid savings to fund the purchase of NARCAN®, which provides a consistent, safe and easy-to-administer dose of naloxone and serves as an alternative to injectable forms that may use syringes. The NCHRC is already saving lives across the state by distributing previously approved forms of naloxone.
“The NCHRC has more than 160 official distributors who dispense our overdose rescue kits that include naloxone throughout the state,” said Robert Childs, executive director of the NCHRC. “Through them we have distributed more than 22,000 kits since August 2013, which in turn have saved nearly 2,300 people’s lives from potential overdose deaths. Smoky’s contribution will allow us to expand our reach even more to people at risk of overdosing or who know someone who is at risk.”
If you would like to receive NARCAN® or other type of overdose rescue kit, call or email Hyun Namkoong with the NCHRC by phone at 919-218-4505 (call or text) or at hnamkoong88@gmail.com. NARCAN® is effective in reversing overdoses due to heroin and prescription painkillers such as OxyContin and Fentanyl. It is does not affect overdoses due to tranquilizers such as Xanax, stimulants or alcohol.
Smoky’s NARCAN® initiative is one of a dozen current or upcoming projects to reinvest any Medicaid cost-savings back into local western N.C. communities. Learn more at smokymountaincenter.com, nchrc.org and narcannasalspray.com.