Heidi Abraham, the deputy medical director at Austin-Travis County EMS, said they’re seeing roughly 30 opiate overdoses every day right now. She also noted that roughly 20 times a month people are getting Narcan administered to them before EMS arrives.
Narcan is a brand name for naloxone and is an emergency treatment that reverses the effects of opioid overdoses.
“If people are still alive when EMS get there, they stay alive,” Abraham said. She also noted that even if Narcan works, it’s still important to call 911 if you find someone having symptoms of an overdose.
The director of operations at Recovery Unplugged recommends people carry Narcan ahead of large events coming to Austin, like South by Southwest, and as an overall best practice. He carries the antidote in his truck, he said.
“I recommend everybody get Narcan, there is a standing prescription order at every Walgreens, CVS and H-E-B in Texas to where anybody can go to any of those pharmacies and purchase Narcan themselves,” Layne Lomaglio said. “I’ve seen Narcan save a lot of lives.”
