Life saving drug to be made more available in South Dakota
Under this new program, people can get Naloxone kits anonymously at distribution boxes set up in high-traffic areas around the state. The Department of Health, Social Services and the Attorney General's office are working together in hopes of saving lives.
Influenza, Whooping Cough seeing decline in SD
Boxes like this will be placed at various locations around South Dakota. People can simply open a box and grab a Naloxone kit free of charge, no questions asked. The nasal spray rapidly reverses an overdose and is proven to save lives. Secretary of Social Services, Matt Althoff, says the goal is to get the life-saving drug into the hands of people who are most likely to need it.
'The anonymous distribution is a critical component that we realize, our goal, of course, is to create that safety net, always strengthening it, always making sure it's even broader,' said Althoff.
The program is using funds from a settlement with opioid companies. Attorney General Marty Jackley secured $78.6 million as South Dakota's share.
'I'm a strong voice that those dollars need to not sit in trust funds for state government, they need to be put to use. And putting to use is why we are here today,' said Jackley.
South Dakota Secretary of Health, Melissa Magstadt, has put it to use herself. She's very familiar with the impact Naloxone can have in the right hands.
'I have administered Naloxone myself, and actually seen patients wake up and come back after an overdose of opioids, its a very powerful medicine to save lives,' said Magstadt.
Magstadt says Naloxone has already saved countless lives in South Dakota Emily's Hope founder, Angela Kennecke, likens naloxone to other life-saving tools like defibrillators and EpiPens.
'We will have the boxes in as many places as possible, I would like to see them by every defibrillator, everybody who has a defibrillator and if people want it in their homes, we will give it to them as well,' said Kennecke.
This new initiative aims to distribute 20 thousand kits statewide.
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