AUSTIN (KXAN) – Texans can now locate where Naloxone (NARCAN) is available for free or for purchase through a new online interactive map.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced the launch of this new tool run by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) as part of the statewide “One Pill Kills” campaign launched in 2022, in an effort to prevent fentanyl poisonings in Texas.
“Texas must continue to do more until the scourge of fentanyl is completely eradicated from our communities. With this new interactive map, Texans will be able to easily find nearby locations that can provide NARCAN by typing in an address or zip code,” Abbott said in the release.
NARCAN locations through the new tool include the following, as provided by Abbott’s office:
- Type of site (e.g., community health clinics, recovery support services, vending machines)
- Hours of location
- Phone number
- Website
“This NARCAN locator map is another tool in our fight against fentanyl-related poisonings that have affected Americans in such a devastating way,” DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH, said in the release. “Health care providers, first responders, and members of the public can pick up and have this life-saving medication on hand and ready for use for when an opioid overdose emergency occurs.”
The DSHS’s Texas Overdose Data to Action (TODA), partnered with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, to identify and update the NARCAN distribution locations on the map.
The release said the launch of this new tool is just one of many efforts made by Abbott to combat the fentanyl crisis in Texas, including distributing NARCAN statewide to all Texas police departments and signing four laws provided by Abbott’s office below:
- Created a criminal offense of murder for supplying fentanyl that results in death.
- Established October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month
- Require public schools to provide research-based instruction on fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students in grades 6 through 12
- Allow the distribution of opioid antagonists to Texas colleges and universities
