Evidence that the opioid — and now fentanyl — scourge has reached epidemic proportions is persuasive and boundless. Take Edinburgh, many of whose 5,000 residents can personally attest to the destruction of addiction, having witnessed it firsthand. Drug overdose deaths have become a fact of life, even in the small community that straddles the line between northern Bartholomew and southern Johnson counties.
Most of us know, or know of, someone who has battled addiction, but we somehow feel it a little deeper when its grim toll strikes small, tight-knit communities.
As reported in The Republic last week, Edinburgh Police Chief Doyne Little said that in one weekend in late March, police responded to five separate overdose emergencies.
Fortunately, police and emergency medical responders have Narcan (also known as Naloxone) ready to deploy. Narcan reverses overdoses and saves lives. Now that super-potent fentanyl is showing up in all sorts of drugs, police and EMTs in Edinburgh say they are carrying more doses with them because sometimes several may be needed to bring someone back around.
It’s impossible to know precisely how many lives may have been saved due to the widespread use of Narcan beginning several years ago. A few years back, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 27,000 lives had been spared, but that was before the recent, worst years in terms of the opioid and fentanyl overdose crisis. Those 27,000 lives also were saved before Narcan became so widely available that practically anyone can get it, no questions asked.
With officials projecting some 50 overdose deaths in Bartholomew County this year — an increase of about 60 percent compared with 2021 — we must emphasize how significant widespread access to Narcan is in saving lives. Even as the number of fatal overdoses climbs, so does the number of those spared by the timely administration of this life-saving drug.
The CDC estimates about one in three people who overdose do so in the company of at least one other person. That’s why it’s critical that people who know someone who is addicted to drugs get their hands on some Narcan.
It’s easy, and it’s free.
In Bartholomew County, NaloxBoxes dispense free Narcan supplies at the ASAP Hub, 1531 13th St., and at the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St., in Columbus. Just recently, a NaloxBox was installed in Edinburgh, on the side of a privately owned building at 105 S. Holland St., next to the town hall. NaloxBoxes also are available at Centerstone and Country Squire Lakes in North Vernon, according to overdoselifeline.org.
Additionally, many pharmacies are licensed by the state to distribute Narcan in communities including Columbus, Edinburgh, Hope and North Vernon. To find a location where Narcan is available near you, go online to optin.in.gov or overdoselifeline.org.
The hope is that someone who has overdosed and received treatment with Narcan will take the steps they need to get help to break their addiction. That doesn’t always happen, but that is the hope. And hope is something that, like people, we can never give up on.
