Pushing for Sustainable Narcan Funding

We joined forces with other community partners to demand increased funding for naloxone/Narcan

During the summer of 2021, Rhode Island was facing a critical shortage of Narcan, the nasal spray version of naloxone, the drug that reverses opioid overdose. This was after data revealed 2020 was the deadliest year on record for overdoses in Rhode Island, with 384 people losing their lives. In the midst of this ongoing public health emergency, we and other partners who provide Narcan/naloxone to Rhode Islanders and work on the governor's Overdose Prevention Task Force demanded funding for naloxone to ensure we can save lives and keep individuals connected to services that improve their health. Through protests at the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services, an urgent request for naloxone funding, and even a walkout during a task force meeting, the state--along with help from the Rhode Island Foundation--pledged to provide funding and stabilize the process by which harm reduction groups such as PWR receive naloxone/Narcan.