ECU students granted access to Narcan at Student Health Services
East Carolina University’s Student Health Services announced that ECU students will have access to the lifesaving medication naloxone, better known as Narcan.
Beginning Feb. 17, Narcan – an opioid antagonist used for the complete or partial reversal of opioid overdose including respiratory depression – can be picked up at the Student Health Services (SHS) pharmacy on main campus.
Narcan is a needle-free nasal spray without need for assembly, designed for community use, and does not require specialized training. Narcan has no adverse side effects on those who do not need it.
ECU joins more than a dozen other universities across the country with similar programs, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The ECU Collegiate Recovery Community has provided funding for all ECU police officers to carry Narcan while on duty since 2014. Current funding for the program is managed by the ECU Substance Use Priority Fund established in 2018.
With this new procedure, ECU students, faculty and staff will have access to Narcan at no charge but are required to receive brief instructions by the SHS pharmacist.
“I want them to be able to freely come and receive Narcan in a judgment-free environment, knowing that at the end of the day, we want to save their life or the life of their friend,” said Dr. LaNika Wright, director of SHS.
Narcan (or naloxone) is a prescription drug that can reverse the effects of prescription opioid and heroin overdose and can be lifesaving when appropriately administered in a timely manner.
“Naloxone should only be used to help a person recover from an opioid overdose. It is not meant to treat an addiction to opioids,” said Dr. Joseph Armen, SHS clinical director and ECU team physician. “Addiction treatment requires a comprehensive recovery program.”
For additional information about distribution of Narcan or ECU’s Collegiate Recovery Community, contact Jarmichael Harris at 252-328-6661.
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ECU News Services
Howard House, 1001 E. Fifth Street
Greenville, NC 27858
ecunews@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6481
news.ecu.edu
Contact: Jarmichael R. Harris, program coordinator/alcohol and other drug staff counselor,harrisja15@ecu.edu
Phone: 252-328-6661