New Hampshire becomes first state to distribute Narcan emergency kits in public places
BOSTON - New Hampshire became the first state in the nation to take a coordinated effort to distribute hundreds of Narcan filled boxes to every county in the state.
The NaloxBox is filled with necessary tools needed to assist someone who is experiencing symptoms of an overdose with the goal of keeping them alive. They look similar to AED boxes in many businesses and community centers.
New Hampshire has committed to purchase 700 NaloxBoxes to start. The goal is to make lifesaving medicine more accessible.
"In New Hampshire we have been increasing public access to that medication in a lot of different ways for quite some time," said New Hampshire Opioid Response Director Jennifer Sabin. "It is something that happens to people like us in our own communities in real time. It is happening here. What we want to encourage folks to take part in is being part of the solution."
Brooke Lawrence is with the RI Medical Reserve Corp and helped create the NaloxBox as part of the nonprofit.
"What we wanted to do was make Narcan more available in a time and place of need," said Lawrence. "Any place where there is a box hanging up has the potential to save lives."
Businesses can reach out to the Dept of Health and Human Services to apply for a free NaloxBox.