The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health is teaming up with the Nebraska Pharmacists Association and Region VI Systems for a statewide project that will distribute free naloxone nasal spray kits at Kubat Pharmacy in Fremont, beginning March 29.
“Our partnership with Kubat Pharmacy, DHHS, and Behavioral Health Region Systems will allow family members or friends of a person at risk of opioid overdose or the person at risk of opioid overdose themselves to access naloxone nasal spray at no cost. This program has the potential to save lives in Nebraska,” Nebraska Pharmacists Association Project Coordinator Sarah Hunter said in a press release. You can access free nasal spray Naloxone at Kubat Pharmacy, 350 W. 23rd St., in Fremont.
Naloxone is an antidote to an opioid overdose. Opioids are medications that act on receptors in the spinal cord and brain to reduce pain intensity and activate reward regions in the brain, causing the euphoria that can lead to misuse and opioid use disorder. Common opioids include prescription medications used to treat pain, such as morphine, codeine, methadone, oxycodone, hydrocodone, fentanyl, and hydromorphone, and illicit drugs as heroin.
Naloxone binds to the opioid receptors in the brain, preventing opioids from binding there, which can temporarily reverse an overdose. Naloxone is not a controlled substance and cannot be abused, and only works if opioids are present in the system.
