R.I. program distributes 10K naloxone kits to community groups

PROVIDENCE – Community organizations across the state have received hundreds of naloxone kits and funding to help distribute them as part of a new state initiative to cut down on fatal opioid overdoses in Rhode Island.

The 10,000 Chances Project, announced recently by Gov. Gina M. Raimondo’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, aims to distribute more than 10,000 kits containing naloxone, a medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

Each organization involved in the project received 500 kits and $5,000 to help distribute them to state residents who are at risk of opioid overdose, along with friends and family members of at-risk people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened mental health issues, including risky substance use, for many, state health officials say.

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“Anxiety, depression and isolation brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has made the opioid epidemic more deadly. People are turning to potentially lethal substances and often using them by themselves with no one to administer naloxone should they overdose,” said Kathryn Power, director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. “Everyone who is at risk, and those that care for them, should have access to naloxone to reverse the effects when an overdose occurs.”

According to the R.I. Office of the State Medical Examiners, within the first eight months of 2020, there were 271 accidental overdose deaths, as compared with 211 during that same period in 2019. Fatal opioid overdoses increased by 34% from year to year, records show.

Organizations that received naloxone kits and funding are:

  • AIDS Care Ocean State
  • Amos House
  • Community Care Alliance
  • East Bay Community Action Program
  • Gateway HealthCare Inc.
  • Lifespan Corp./Rhode Island Hospital
  • Parent Support Network
  • Pawtucket Housing Authority
  • Preventing Overdose and Naloxone Intervention in partnership with The Miriam Hospital
  • Project Weber/RENEW
  • The Providence Center
  • Rhode Island Communities for Addiction Recovery Efforts
  • University of Rhode Island’s Community First Responder Program

Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.