Lifesaving naloxone available in Monroe County public spaces

MONROE COUNTY, N.Y. – Hundreds of doses of Narcan, which reverses opioid overdoses, are being placed in public places throughout our area to help prevent more deaths.

“The goal of all of this is to get as much Narcan into the hands of the public as possible because we understand that when Narcan is used, lives can be spared,” Dr. Tisha Smith, Monroe County’s addiction services director, said.

More than 180 people have died from an overdose in Monroe County so far this year. We know that a lot of overdoses go unreported, but advocates say naloxone – the generic form of Narcan – has saved many local lives.

The county set a goal last fall of putting 500 boxes of naloxone in businesses and parks and other public places. So far, 420 have been installed.

And those boxes are desperately needed. This week alone, Monroe County says 72 people overdosed, two of them fatally.

The boxes hold several kits of Narcan, which each hold two doses of nasal spray. The drug can quickly reverse an opioid overdose.

The “nalox boxes” also list signs of an overdose and what to do if you find someone overdosing and need to administer the medication.

“The fact that these are readily available in the public, they’re highly visible, they’re easy to use with instructions present, that makes a world of difference,” said Chief Deputy Michael Fowler with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

“We understand that people are using these boxes because we are constantly refilling them. We go out on a daily basis to refill these boxes, so we know that Narcan is getting into the hands of people,” Smith said.

There’s a map of all of the boxes online. You can also request one for your business or public space by emailing impact@monroecounty.gov or calling (585) 753-5300.

Monroe County tracks reported opioid overdoses here.