Naloxone available statewide, drug overdose deaths continue to increase in Nevada
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Thu, 05/05/2022 - 8:00am
CARSON CITY — As part of an ongoing effort to prevent drug overdose deaths in Nevada, the Division of Public and Behavioral Health and the Nevada Overdose Data to Action program announce that the potentially life-saving medication Naloxone is available without a prescription statewide and free to all Nevadans.
The Nevada State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) reported that the rate of accidental drug overdose deaths among Nevadans has seen a 20% increase from January 2020 to June 2021.
This report showed that two-thirds of the deaths involved an opioid, over half of the deaths involved a stimulant such as methamphetamine or cocaine, and a quarter of deaths involved an opioid and stimulant together.
According to the National Institute of Health, opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl, and pain relievers available legally by prescription, such as oxycodone (OxyContin), hydrocodone (Vicodin), codeine, morphine and many others.
Fatal overdose from opioids is avoidable with the use of the opioid antagonist Naloxone which rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. The medication is safe to use in the case of a suspected overdose and is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“Overdose deaths in Nevada continue to climb,” said Elyse Monroy, OD2A Program Manager with UNR. “And the State’s SUDORS data tells us that some of the people who unintentionally died by overdose in 2021 may have had a missed intervention point. Overdosing doesn’t have to be fatal. Access to treatment services and harm reduction supports can help curb overdose fatalities.”
The Division of Public and Behavioral Health supports Nevada's treatment and harm reduction services through TreatmentConnection.com, powered by OpenBeds, to help people find substance treatment or mental health support.
The OD2A program encourages all Nevadans to learn about these life-saving resources, and if an overdose occurs, call 9-1-1 immediately. Nevada’s Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act of 2015 (NRS 453C.120) protects persons seeking medical treatment for themselves and encourages bystanders to give emergency assistance to someone who may be overdosing on opioids without fear of prosecution.
The Nevada State Opioid Response grant supports statewide Naloxone distribution. Information about Naloxone and training to use the opioid antagonist can be found through NVOpioidResponse.org.
Nevadans are encouraged to reach out to the following resources if they are looking for Naloxone or treatment resources:
Crisis Support Services of Nevada
Call: 1-800-273-8255
Text: CARE to 839863
NAMI Peer Support Warm Line
775-241-4212
National Drug Helpline
1-844-289-0879
The Overdose Data to Action Program is the state of Nevada’s primary source of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding or overdose morbidity and mortality surveillance and reporting. The data included in this report is from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) from January 1 to June 30, 2021. Per federal reporting requirements, SUDORS data is reported twice a year.
The Nevada Opioid STR Initiative addresses the tremendous opioid crisis in Nevada by expanding access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT), reducing unmet treatment needs, and reducing opioid overdose-related deaths through the provision of prevention, treatment, and recovery services for Opioid Use Disorders (OUDs). The Nevada State Opioid Response grant supports the statewide distribution of Naloxone.
