District residents will soon be able to get the overdose-reversing drug naloxone for free at select pharmacies starting Saturday, International Overdose Awareness Day, as part of a pilot program.
Naloxone is an FDA-approved medication that is proven to temporarily reverse the effects of opioids such as heroin, fentanyl and morphine.
Narcan is the nasal spray version of the medicine.
“This pilot allows us to test and identify new channels of Narcan distribution as part of our commitment to combat the opioid epidemic,” said Dr. LaQuandra S. Nesbitt, DC Health director, in a statement.
“Making Narcan Nasal Spray more widely available to residents through our partnership with local pharmacies is also a big step forward in Mayor Bowser’s plan to reduce opioid use and misuse and to reduce opioid-related deaths by 50% by 2020.”
As of May 31, there had been 72 opioid-related deaths in the District. In 2018, there were 213. In 2017, there were 272.
The following pharmacies will offer the free medicine:
- Morgan Pharmacy (3001 P St. NW)
- Grubbs Care Pharmacy NE (326 E. Capitol St. NE)
- Grubbs Care Pharmacy NW (1517 17th St. NW)
- Grubbs Care Pharmacy SE (1800 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE)
- Kalorama Pharmacy (1631 Kalorama Road. NW)
- Good Care Pharmacy (2910 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE)
- Excel Pharmacy (3923 S. Capitol St. SW)
- CVS No. 22 (320 40th St. NE)
- CVS No. 1340 (845 Bladensburg Road NE)
- CVS No. 1354 (2601 Connecticut Ave. NW)
- CVS No. 1360 (2834 Alabama Ave. SE)
- CVS No. 1364 (6514 Georgia Ave. NW)
- CVS No. 2834 (3031 14th St. NW)
- Safeway No. 1445 (2845 Alabama Ave. SE)
- Walgreens No. 15360 (801 Seventh St. NW)
- Walgreens No. 16049 – Howard University Hospital (2041 Georgia Ave. NW)
- Giant No. 384 (1535 Alabama Ave. SE)
In addition to giving away Narcan, if an opioid prescription is filled at one of the participating locations, that patient will also receive a Narcan kit.
Get more information at DC Health’s Live Long website.
