Memorial continues expansion of Narcan availability

PATIENTS BEING  treated for drug overdoses or who are deemed at risk for a drug overdose are being given a Narcan kit prior to discharge.
PATIENTS BEING treated for drug overdoses or who are deemed at risk for a drug overdose are being given a Narcan kit prior to discharge.

PAWTUCKET – Joining its Care New England partners Butler and Kent hospitals, Memorial Hospital has begun distributing naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, in its Emergency Department.

Patients being treated for drug overdoses or who are deemed at risk for a drug overdose are being given a Narcan kit prior to discharge. The kit is comprised by a syringe and a nasal atomizer with the medication, which has been proven effective saving lives in opiate overdose cases, including heroin and OxyContin overdoses.

“Opiate overdoses and deaths from overdoses is a serious concern in the State of Rhode Island and we at Memorial want to be sure we can help these patients as quickly and effectively as possible,” said Ewa Dzwierzynski, pharmacy site manager at Memorial. “This collaborative project by our emergency department and pharmacy will fill a critical void in this area, help us save lives, educate people and hopefully reverse the trend.”

Memorial patients are also encouraged to consult with recovery coaches made available through The Providence Center, a Care New England member. During the week, the coaches are present in the Emergency Department at Memorial; during weekends the coaches are available on an on-call basis.

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The new program at Memorial is part of a broad trend in the state to make Narcan more available, in response to a major spike in opiate overdoses during the past eighteen months. Narcan is now available without a prescription at all CVS/pharmacy and Walgreens locations in the state.

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