McKee Administration Hosts Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee at the University of Rhode Island’s Naloxone Distribution Site

Published on Wednesday, May 17, 2023

May 17, 2023 - Today, at an event at the University of Rhode Island (URI), the State is hosting its Opioid Settlement Advisory Committee meeting and touring its centralized naloxone distribution site on the Kingston campus. Interested parties can watch the meeting, scheduled from 1pm – 3pm, here.

The State has increased its access to naloxone through an opioid settlement, secured by Attorney General Peter F. Neronha, with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Inc. As a part of this settlement, Teva has committed to supplying Rhode Island with 50,000 kits (100,000 doses of nasal spray) per year for 10 years, medication valued at $62.5 million. This partnership builds off the 10,000 Chances project, which came to be when RI’s drug overdose crisis was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Naloxone is a lifesaving intervention that can reverse the often-fatal effects of an opioid-related overdose. The free naloxone kits can be ordered through URI’s Community First Responder Program (CFRP) and PreventOverdoseRI.org.

The Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force is promoting harm reduction strategies, encouraging people not to use alone. Illicit fentanyl can be present in a variety of substances such as cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills. Naloxone reverses opioid-related overdoses. Therefore, the state is increasing naloxone distribution and educating on how to effectively use it in non-clinical settings, including using when someone is nearby and willing to administer naloxone in the event of an overdose. The State also has harm reduction tools like fentanyl test strips and safer smoking kits. Those wishing to order a free two-dose naloxone kit from URI’s Community First Responder Program can visit PreventOverdoseRI.org/get-naloxone. The University of Rhode Island Community First Responder Program (CFRP) provides free, online naloxone training (English, Spanish) at PreventOverdoseRI.org.

You can learn how to recognize and respond to an overdose using naloxone, and ways you can stay safer if you are using drugs. At the end of this brief training, you can request free naloxone shipped to your house. You can also request to have a peer recovery specialist contact you. The CFRP also offers free naloxone trainings for organizations, schools, and businesses. Learn more and request a seminar today. Additionally, municipalities and community-based organizations can request bulk naloxone for distribution to high-risk individuals within local communities. 

In Rhode Island, you can get naloxone at a pharmacy without a prescription. When you buy naloxone at a pharmacy, the pharmacist can show you how to use it. All health insurers in Rhode Island cover at least one type of generic naloxone with a no cost/low-cost co-payment. Medicaid fully covers the cost of generic naloxone. At the pharmacy, naloxone is covered by insurance and co-pays may vary from $0 (Medicaid coverage) to $50.  

In half of all fatal overdoses, a bystander was present. Fewer than 10% of bystanders administered naloxone during an overdose across all racial and ethnic groups. Most bystanders were family members, intimate partners, or friends. Many of these individuals did not respond because they were spatially separated or did not know the individual was using drugs.  Some bystanders were unable to respond because they could not recognize the overdose. Therefore, the State is promoting the signs and symptoms of substance use disorder and overdose. 

The Rhode Island Good Samaritan Law provides certain legal protections to a person when they call 9-1-1 when someone is suspected of overdosing, whether they have drugs on them or not.