SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — As America grapples with the opioid crisis, local governments across the county struggle to find ways to help those in crisis. One step Sullivan County has taken is providing naloxone as part of an overdose response kit, as well as information about treatment options and the path to recovery.

Naloxone, more commonly known by its brand name Narcan, is a medicine that rapidly reverses an overdose. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), it works by attaching itself to opioid receptors and “reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids.” Naloxone has no effect on someone not suffering from an overdose and the NIDA says that “it is not a treatment for opioid use disorder.”

Naloxone is available in several locations throughout the county. The county offers opioid overdose response kits in free vending machines in the annex of the Sullivan County Government Center (100 North St., Monticello) and in the lobby of the Department of Community Resources and the Mental Health Clinic of Sullivan County (15 Community Lane, Liberty). Each kit contains two single use naloxone nasal sprays, two single use fentanyl test strips, two single use xylazine test strips, a rescue breathing face shield and a handbill advertising Hope Not Handcuffs, an initiative that works to connect individuals struggling with addiction to recovery services.

United Sullivan also has a map of the 136 naloxone boxes across Sullivan County where people can access naloxone. United Sullivan is a collaboration of two dozen local nonprofits and government agencies, including the Sullivan County government, providing a one-stop shop of resources for those in need. That map can be viewed at www.unitedsullivan.org/narcan-training-access.

Including information about other recovery and support services along with the naloxone is an intentional move to increase education around addiction and overdose. Scott Curry, a disability resource coordinator inside the Center for Workforce Development, said that providing naloxone is a good first step, but that education is necessary for individuals to actually overcome their addictions.

“[What] partners in the county have done is actually made the distribution of Narcan a vehicle to provide even more additional resources and tools to help people overcome their addictions,” Curry said. “Narcan has worked, but there’s still so much more work and resources that need to be provided to the people facing addiction here in Sullivan County.”

Michael Osepowicz, the planning and outreach coordinator for the Sullivan County Department of Community Services, expanded on the education that is being provided. He said that in contrast to former programs, current education is more holistic.

“There’s a number of community providers that go into the schools and educate students on prevention and awareness, and I think it’s less harsh or strict as compared to DARE,” Osepowicz said, referring to Drug Abuse Resistance Education programming. “It’s more of an acceptance rather than punitive.”

Both Curry and Osepowicz said that, while naloxone alone is not enough, it is a lifesaving tool, giving people the ability to seek treatment.

“Narcan is just a tool to possibly give someone another second chance,” Curry said. “Using Narcan as a vehicle, we’re going to be able to get these people put into treatment. We’re going to help them find stable housing, find health care and find employment, and all the other things that a lot of us may take for granted.”

“It’s keeping people alive so they can potentially make that decision,” Osepowicz said. “[So they can say] ‘OK, that was too much. I need treatment.’”