SIU School of Medicine is doing its part to decrease drug overdoses.
Twice a month the SIU School of Medicine is distributing Narcan to the public free of charge.
Narcan is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Project Coordinator Brent Van Ham says putting Narcan in the public's hand can save someone’s life before emergency responders can arrive.
“Narcan attaches to the opioid receptors in the brain and what it does is basically it kicks the opioid off that receptor, so it pushes the heroin or the fentanyl away from the receptor so that the person regains the ability to breathe regularly.”
The Illinois Department of Public Health data shows the state had more than two thousand fatal overdoses in 2019.