SALISBURY, N.C. — Rowan County Public Health’s HOPE team partnered with the county sheriff's office in a project to reduce the number of opioid deaths in the area.
They received grant money to provide free Narcan, a brand of the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, to a high-risk population for opioid drug overdoses.
According to 2017-2021 data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, About 39 people per 100,000 have died from an opioid overdose in Rowan County. This number is much higher than the rest of the state, which reports about 23 overdose deaths per 100,000.
Narcan is now available in 24-hour vending machines at the Rowan County Detention Center and Annex.
Overdose is the leading cause of death for people who are released from incarceration, according to the county. It says that people leaving jail are 40 times more likely to die of an opioid overdose within their first two weeks after release.
The county said Narcan can restore normal breathing within minutes after an opioid overdose. Each kit of Narcan found in the vending machines holds two doses, which are administered through the nasal cavity. The kit also includes instructions on how to use it and resources for treatment services.
Earlier this year, U.S. regulators approved Narcan to be sold without a prescription.
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