Wake battles rising opioid overdoses with free Narcan

Two billboards on New Bern and Capital in Raleigh are promoting the new program, aimed at drug users and their family and friends.

In 2020, there were 482 reported overdoses in Wake County, a 31% increase over 2019. This year’s numbers are on pace to surpass 2020, says Wake County Pharmacy Director Jason Wittes.

Statewide, the number of people hospitalized for opioid overdoses went up 22% from 2019 to 2020. Six people in North Carolina die every day from the drugs.

“I think we are on the precipice of a large mental health crisis in the country,” Wittes told WRAL News. “We had substance use disorder issues prior to COVID, and I think COVID has overshadowed them.”

According to state health officials, 58% of opioid overdoses in 2018 happened in the company of other people, but the reversal drug naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, was administered just 31% of the time.

Wittes is hoping the new program can close that gap by getting Narcan kits into more hands throughout the community.

“While we are waiting for our EMS partners to arrive, we need to be working on reversing that opioid effect," Wittes said. "This saves lives, plain and simple.”

200 free kits are available at the Wake County Health Center on Sunnybrook Rd. in Raleigh. Wittes says opioid users, their families and close friends should keep one on hand, just in case of an accidental overdose.

“If you have a peanut allergy, you get an Epipen. If you have substance use disorder, you get a Narcan kit," he added. "That’s just the way it should be.”

Even with the reversal drug, though, it’s still vitally important to call 9-1-1 in case of an overdose. North Carolina’s Good Samaritan law protects a person from charges if they're asking for help for someone who's overdosing.