Mary Alice Reporting – The Tuscarawas County Health Department is providing another avenue to distribute overdose reversal kits to residents.

Nalaxon, also known as Narcan, is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by prescription pain medication or an opioid drug.

Community Relations Director Jennifer Demuth says that the lifesaving kits can be picked up at the health department’s location in Dover, but they can also be mailed out to Ohio residents.

“And we can give those kits to anyone who struggles with addiction, we can give those kits out to loved ones of those who struggle with addiction, and we can, of course, give those kits out to any community member.”

The mailed out kits have been available for a few years but Demuth says the process has been simplified through their website, www.tchdnow.org. Currently, over 600 Project DAWN kits have been distributed in Tuscarawas County.

Demuth encourages residents, who might find themselves in a position where an overdose is possible, to consider getting a kit.

“For instance, an older individual will accidentally take too much of pain medication and accidentally overdose, a child might get a hold of something and accidentally overdose, so it’s so important to have access to that free Narcan because Narcan really does save lives.”

She adds that each kit contains two doses of Narcan.

“It includes rubber gloves and a face shield, so that if a person is giving rescue breaths, that helps serve as a barrier, and each kit has a little bag so that you can carry that Narcan with you easily.”

Project DAWN at the Tuscarawas County Health Department is federally funded through the Ohio Department of Health, and statewide data indicates that, in 2022, over 205,000 Nalaxon kits were distributed or placed and that more than 18,200 known overdose reversals occurred.

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