Bowen Center offering free medication to reverse opioid overdose to the public

Bowen Center’s Wabash office now offers free, confidential access to Naloxone kits. Naloxone, sometimes referred to as Narcan, is medication designed to help rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The Center is partnering with Overdose Lifeline and a local nurse who is volunteering her time to ensure the box remains stocked with single dose kits for the community. 

Bowen Center Wabash director, Danielle Gargiulo, encourages anyone struggling with opioid addiction or who has a family member, friend or co-worker struggling with an opioid addiction to take Naloxone kits to have on-hand in the event of a suspected overdose. “The medication is safe and will not harm someone if administered who is not experiencing an opioid overdose, but it can reverse the effects almost immediately,” said Mrs. Gargiulo. 

Access to Naloxone for opioid overdose rescue is a priority for the US Department of Health and Human Services response to the opioid crisis. “Widespread dispensing of Naloxone to persons in treatment for substance use disorder increases the likelihood that an opioid overdose in their community will be attended to,” said Carolyn Warner-Greer, M.D., Director of Bowen Recovery Center in Fort Wayne. “While we routinely prescribe Naloxone rescue kits to any person who may be around opioid use, we cannot have too much of this medication in our community,” said Dr. Warner-Greer. 

“The goal is to save lives and reduce deaths by overdose and we hope the community will come to Bowen Center, located at 255 North Miami Street in Wabash to take what they need any time of the day or night. The NaloxBox is a self-dispensing box mounted outside of our Community Room entrance. Each kit contains simple instructions to follow,” said Mrs. Gargiulo. The NaloxBox is like a free book or food box you find in communities with easy access to anyone in need. 

“Statically rural counties like Wabash dispense Naloxone at a much lower rate than metropolitan counties. This is concerning when drug addiction is so prevalent everywhere and two out of three drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved an opioid. Naloxone is a medication designed to give individuals another chance at recovery,” said Mrs. Gargiulo. “I 

am excited we can offer this to our community and truly hope it does save lives and gives mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends another chance to break away from their addiction and onto a healthier life,” said Mrs. Gargiulo. 

Some Facts from Opioid Crisis Statistics | HHS.gov: 

• More than 760,000 people have died since 1999 from a drug overdose. 

• Two out of three drug overdose deaths in 2018 involved an opioid. 

• Rural counties are nearly 3 times more likely to be ranked low dispensing than metropolitan counties