DeWine wants to combat overdoses with Narcan cabinets in schools, but some have concerns
CINCINNATI (WKRC) - Ohio Governor Mike DeWine plans to make a push to combat overdoses by putting Narcan cabinets in public colleges and universities around the state. Some advocates for Narcan say this is more performative than effective.
AmandaLynn Reese from Harm Reduction Ohio, a nonprofit dealing with drug policy, said Narcan next to something like a fire extinguisher or an AED visually normalizes that Narcan is an everyday life-saving tool. She says this is helpful in battling the stigma around it, but she says the governor's push may not necessarily save any lives.
“I do have some concerns,” said Reese.
According to the initiative, up to five free naloxone cabinets are expected to be offered to Ohio’s public colleges or universities on a “first come, first serve” basis. Reese said it’s a step in the right direction.
“It’s not really saying we care enough to make it accessible, affordable, educated about it, creating education around it, and then actually useful, right? it’s not really a practical use,” said Reese.
Five cabinets on huge campuses may not give anyone the chance to save a life if someone can’t get to it, and back to the person who needs it in less than 3 minutes. Three minutes is the time you have before the brain starts to shut down.
“If it’s in the school nurse’s office, how are you going to get from one side of campus to the other to administer this medication?” said Reese.
Reese says people should celebrate the effort to decrease the stigma surrounding Narcan, but this effort alone may not make a dent in decreasing overdoses.
“You know someone who uses drugs. You love someone who uses drugs. And all it takes is one time without the education and preparation to lose your life,” said Reese.
The cabinets harm reduction purchases are about $180 a piece, so relatively cheap for their purpose. But this comes with unseen costs, too, like installing the cabinet, training people to use it, and having someone to check expiration dates, and restocking it.
House Bill 341 signed by Governor DeWine in 2020 expanded access to naloxone through different means of distribution, including these emergency access cabinets.
