The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announced Tuesday it is making naloxone more readily available to reverse the effect of opioid overdoses impacting people across the state with opioid use disorder.
IDHS is investing nearly $13m aimed at fighting the opioid epidemic through expanding access to this lifesaving medication.
Naloxone is an opioid antagonist used for the treatment of overdose from opioids, such as heroin and fentanyl. In the U.S., the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lists naloxone as a prescription drug...This funding will also support first responders and other community partners in their efforts to widen the availability of the overdose reversal medication naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcan. The project will allow Illinois to increase its capacity to identify and report timely, comprehensive syndromic surveillance data on fatal and nonfatal opioid overdoses.