LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: Free Naloxone

  • Senator Sherrod Brown highlighted his work to crack down on fentanyl traffickers in Senate hearing

    Senator Sherrod Brown highlighted his work to crack down on fentanyl traffickers in Senate hearing

    Today, during a Senate Committee on Finance Hearing titled “Front Lines of the Fentanyl Crisis: Supporting Communities and Combating Addiction through Prevention and Treatment,” U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown highlighted his work to crack down on fentanyl traffickers through his Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act, which was signed into law last month.

    The FEND Off Fentanyl Act takes action to expand sanctions to illicit fentanyl traffickers in Mexico and the creators of precursor chemicals in China. Senator Brown worked with law enforcement to craft the legislation, and national and Ohio law enforcement have praised the bills passage.

    Brown also discussed the importance of access to addiction treatment services with witnesses Tony Vezina, Executive Director of 4D Recovery Center; Dr. Jeanmarie Perrone, Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Founding Director of the Center for Addiction Medicine and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania; Dr. Caleb J. Banta-Green, Director of the University of Washington Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research; and Dr. Abigail J. Herron, Vice President and Chief Behavioral Health Officer at the Institute for Family Health.

    “After fighting for a year Congress passed my bipartisan FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which focuses on targeting and sanctioning the precursor chemical makers in China and the cartels in Mexico that put this stuff together. Cracking down obviously on the supply and at that level going after where the big money is, is really important,” said Brown. “It is an all-of-the-above approach.”

    Brown asked the witnesses about the accessibility of treatment services, including the importance of Medicaid.

    “It’s incredibly important. Just for myself, before the expansion of Medicaid there was a lottery system, and I was trying to get into treatment but didn’t get selected for the lottery. And so I had to wait, and they had to prioritize other populations aside from me. But after Medicaid expansion, I was able to get into treatment immediately,” responded Vezina.

    Get Free Naloxone and Test Strips

    Loveland, Ohio – If you are in Ohio, you can get naloxone for you, someone you know, or your organization. Help save lives!

    Are you a person who lives in Ohio looking to get free naloxone or fentanyl test strips for yourself or someone you know?

    Find Mental Health & Addiction Treatment
    Discover a treatment facility near you.

    Call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

    Call, text, or chat the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to reach a trained specialist who offers free, confidential, compassionate, accessible care and support. There is HOPE. The lifeline WORKS. You are NOT ALONE in crisis.
    _____________

    ¡Los servicios de texto y chat de 988 Lifeline ya están disponibles en español!

    Haga clic aquí para obtener información sobre cómo acceder a todos los servicios en español.

  • Ohio residents who may be in a position to reverse an overdose should consider carrying FREE naloxone

    Ohio residents who may be in a position to reverse an overdose should consider carrying FREE naloxone

    Loveland, Ohio

    About This Naloxone Program

    Twenty-thousand Ohio residents died from drug overdoses from 2020 through 2023. Harm Reduction Ohio provides the overdose-reversing drug naloxone to any Ohio residents at no charge. You can order online. We mail orders within 24 hours from our main office in Granville.

    This service is made possible by the Ohio Department of Health’s Project DAWN program, using federal State Opioid Response funds approved by Congress.

    Ohio Department of Health

    What drugs in Ohio may contain fentanyl?

    All illicit drugs in Ohio — except marijuana — may contain the opioid fentanyl or a fentanyl analog that can cause a potentially fatal overdose. Half of fentanyl overdoses deaths are caused by mixtures with stimulants (meth, cocaine). High doses of prescription opiates — such as oxycodone, fentanyl, hydrocodone and morphine — may cause overdoses, too.

    Who should order at this site?

    Ohio residents who may be in a position to reverse an overdose should consider carrying naloxone. This is especially true for family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors and service providers in contact with people who use drugs other than marijuana. People who stimulants and non-opioid drugs (other than cannabis) are at significant risk of fentanyl overdose and should carry naloxone, as should people in contact with people who use drugs.

    Can I order fentanyl test strips?

    Yes. Please request them in the comment section when ordering naloxone. Fentanyl test strips will be added soon as an option to our online form.

    Other questions? Email narcan@harmreductionohio.org

    HRO-Naloxone-Nasalv2 from Jumpstart Video on Vimeo.

    Xylazine Wound Care Guide

    Harm Reduction Ohio’s partner NEXT Distro of New York City prepared this Xylazine Wound Care Guide, which can be found here and below.

    Harm Reduction Ohio published a study January 4, 2024, on xylazine’s frequency in Ohio’s drug supply. That study can be found here. The charts and data from the study is here.

    The study found xylazine in 37.3% of fentanyl. Other key findings:

    • Xylazine is paired with fentanyl in nearly every case.
    • Xylazine is almost non-existent in the supply of cocaine, methamphetamine, benzodiazepines, psychedelics and other drugs, except when fentanyl is also present.
    • Xylazine is found across Ohio without significant regional variations.
    • Xylazine frequency was consistent throughout the nine months studied, indicating the drug was well-established in Ohio’s fentanyl supply before 2023 and is not currently increasing or decreasing in frequency.

    Caring for Xylazine Wounds

    Source: National Library of Medicine

    The NEXT Distro wound care guide offers this guidance.

    • Xylazine wounds should be kept clean with soap and water. Using alcohol and peroxide is NOT suggested for these wounds.
    • Moisturized with antibacterial ointment like A&D or even a thin layer of vaseline.
    • Covered with clean bandages.
    • Manuka honey (Medihoney) has been found to be very useful and effective for its wound healing and antibacterial properties.

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/XylazineWoundCare.pdf”]

  • Loveland Magazine carries Narcan (Naloxone) at work and in “Company Car”

    Loveland Magazine carries Narcan (Naloxone) at work and in “Company Car”

    One of the doses of Narcan Spray Loveland Magazine received free through the mail.

    Removing the Stigma

    Loveland, Ohio – Overdoses can happen in a moment and we know having Narcan (Naloxone) handy can save a life.

    Loveland Magazine will now be carrying Narcan in the “Company Car” as well as having it stocked at our office.

    Get Free NARCAN (Naloxone)

    If you are in Ohio, you can get Narcan for yourself, someone you know, or your organization. Help save lives!

    Using this LINK, Loveland Magazine received a two-pack box of Narcan Nasal Spray. It only took a few clicks, a few days, and it was totally FREE.

    What Is Naloxone?

    Naloxone is a medication that can reverse an overdose caused by an opioid drug (heroin, illegal fentanyl, or prescription pain medications). When administered during an overdose, naloxone blocks the effects of opioids on the brain and quickly restores breathing. Naloxone is marked under various trademarks, including NARCAN®

    Naloxone has been used safely by emergency medical professionals for more than 40 years and has only one important function: to stop overdose death by reversing the effects of opioids. Naloxone is a safe, non-controlled drug and has no potential for abuse.

    If naloxone is given to a person who is not going through an opioid overdose, it is harmless. If naloxone is given to a person who is dependent on opioids, it will cause withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal, although uncomfortable, is not life-threatening.

    This video shows how to give naloxone nasal spray (brand name Narcan®) in an opioid overdose situation.

    Also, learn how to administer naloxone by watching this video from the Ohio Department of Health.