Thanks to a joint partnership with the City of Manchester’s Health Department and the State of New Hampshire’s Department of Health & Human Services, Farnum Center has recently implemented emergency overdose reversal kits known as “NaloxBoxes” at both of its locations.
A total of eight NaloxBoxes—five at Farnum’s flagship center on Queen City Avenue and three at its outpatient center on Lake Avenue—have been strategically placed in several interior locations alongside other emergency devices such as AED and CPR rescue kits.
Each NaloxBox contains multiple quantities of the FDA-approved overdose-reversal drug naloxone, more commonly known as Narcan. The boxes also have CPR breathing barriers and detailed instruction manuals on how to use the drug in the event of an emergency.
“You see that box and you know exactly what it’s for. The more we can normalize seeing those types of things, the better,” Farnum Interim Senior Vice President Amy Joslin said. “Our goal is not only to save as many lives as possible but also to reduce the stigmas associated with opioid overdose and access to Narcan in life-or-death situations.”
Last year, New Hampshire became the first state in the U.S. to initiate a coordinated public launch of NaloxBoxes, distributing more than 700 of them across all 10 counties. To date, Farnum is now one of just over a dozen programs and businesses to have these kits in the city of Manchester alone!
Both of Farnum’s centers will soon host onsite training sessions on overdose prevention and Narcan response tactics. Anyone in the Manchester area who would like a NaloxBox or more information about the training sessions can contact Andrew Warner, Director of Overdose Prevention for the City of Manchester, at 603.657.0826 or [email protected].