BRATTLEBORO — A local methadone clinic is participating in a pilot program by the Vermont Department of Health to distribute free opioid overdose rescue kits.
The kits contain naloxone hydrocloride, a drug that can reverse the effects of opioid poisoning, in the form of a nasal spray.
Sprayed into the nose of someone who has overdosed, naloxone (also known as the trade name Narcan) blocks the opioids and restores normal breathing.
Habit OPCO, located on Town Crier Drive, announced last week that it will offer prevention and overdose response training, so people can learn to recognize the signs of overdose, and take appropriate measures.
Anyone interested in carrying Naloxone (Narcan) can get a free and confidential rescue kit at Habit OPCO every Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 2 p.m.
Turning Point Recovery Center in Brattleboro also plans to distribute the kits on the fourth Wednesday of every month, from noon to 2 p.m., starting May 27.
Distribution of the overdose kits in Vermont began in 2013, when the Legislature asked the Department of Health to come up with a program to get them into the hands of people at risk of opioid overdose.
It was part of the Shumlin administration push to do something about what Gov. Peter Shumlin called an epidemic of heroin and opioid abuse in Vermont.
Under Vermont law, health care professionals are allowed to prescribe and dispense Naloxone to anyone at risk of an overdose, or to a family member or friend in a position to help, as long as the person receiving the anti-overdose drug has completed a prevention and training program approved by the Department of Health.
The Naloxone distribution has taken on added urgency in the wake of recent news reports of heroin-related overdoses, some leading to death.
Late last month, Vermont State Police warned that some of the heroin entering Vermont, particularly in the northern part of the state, may be tainted with fentanyl.
According to the Department of Health, fentanyl is an opioid drug that is up to 50 times more powerful than heroin, and much deadlier. Even a very small amount of pure fentanyl, just a few grains, can stop your breathing and lead to death.
Naloxone is effective against heroin and fentanyl, but the Department of Health says greater amounts may be needed to reverse fentanyl poisoning.
In a news release, Vermont State Police said it “recommends that anyone using heroin on a daily basis be extremely careful of the product they buy. The use of a fentanyl-laced batch of heroin, or especially pure fentanyl, can easily lead to overdose and death, due to fentanyl's powerful effect.”