A new program will be deployed in the U.S. state of Arkansas to deal with the opioid crisis, which has resulted in numerous overdose deaths throughout the state and disrupted the lives of Arkansans.
The program is named as NaloxHome and aims to provide free naloxone, which is commonly known by the brand name Narcan. Naloxone is an overdose reversal drug. The drug would be allotted to Arkansas hospitals, which would be then given to patients or caregivers of the patients who are at risk for an overdose or have experienced an overdose. The program would be administered by the Arkansas Department of Human Services and the state drug director by partnering with the Arkansas Center for Health Improvement.
NaloxHome's launch was announced by its administrators and proponents at Unity Health-White County Medical Center in Searcy, which is the first hospital to launch the program. The drug director of Arkansas said that naloxone saves lives, and the state is focused on getting the drug into the home of the maximum number of opioid-affected people to downplay the risk of addiction and save Arkansans from the epidemic.
Chief Medical Officer for Unity Health said that the program is an effective tool to combat the opioid crisis. The patients suffering from overdose can be sent home with the naloxone drug that can prevent a future overdose from being fatal, and an emergency room can only be the final step in the treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths in the U.S. increased by 30% in 2020. The death count was 71,000 in 2019, which rose to 92,000 in 2020 and 107,000 in 2021, indicating an increase of 15%.
