Naloxone, an opioid overdose reversal medication, has been available in 150 automated external defibrillator boxes across the University of Maryland’s campus as of Nov. 26.
Naloxone is a “safe and life-saving medication” that people may not realize they need until an emergency hits, according to Rachel Alinsky, the medical director of the Substance Use Intervention and Treatment Unit. It rapidly reverses an opioid overdose through a nasal spray, according to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
An AED box is a container that stores medication materials for public use.
“Our priority is always to take care of our community’s health, and in order to do so, it’s important that we make resources available that can help save lives,” university president Darryll Pines told The Diamondback on Dec. 5. “We can reduce barriers that keep them from getting into the hands of someone who needs them.”
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A Maryland Senate bill that went into effect in October requires Naloxone to be available in all AED machines placed in public buildings, including this university’s campus, according to Madeleine Moore, the Health and Wellness Services substance use and harm reduction program manager at the University Health Center.
But the state did not provide a clear plan for the implementation of Naloxone, so the university had to create its own initiative, Moore explained.
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The university’s fire marshal office led the initiative to incorporate Naloxone in AED boxes since it oversees the university’s AED machines, according to Moore. The health center, part of Maryland health department’s overdose response program, worked with the office to supply and distribute 300 doses of Naloxone — two doses for each of the 150 AED boxes, Moore added.
Although the Naloxone in AED boxes is for emergency-use only, it is open for the campus community to use, according to Moore.
Alinksy said Naloxone being publicly available can help reduce stigma around substance use. Alinsky added that she would like to see Naloxone placed in private buildings, including dorms and fraternity and sorority houses at this university.
The medication is an essential part of AED boxes and of “a continuum of care,” the deputy director for policy and substance use, addiction and health research center Erin Artigiani wrote in a statement to The Diamondback.
“Increasing access to Naloxone through initiatives like this can save countless lives and likely contributed to declines in overdose deaths recently reported in Maryland,” Artigiani wrote.
