Jackson County Public Health giving out free Narcan in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jackson County Public Health gave out 150 boxes of free Narcan from Thursday to Saturday, which is International Overdose Awareness Day .

The stations were set up at 2 different Hy-Vee locations across the Kansas City metro area.

Part of Reagan Williams’ job is to erase the stigma around Narcan.

“Just like a fire extinguisher, right?” she said.

“Like, yeah, we’re not going to try to have a fire, you may never use it, but at least you always have it.”

She was also spending time with shoppers, educating them about the resources that Jackson County Public Health provides.

“We already have the resources, but sometimes we just don’t know it yet,” she continued.

One parent had heard about the giveaway ahead of time and came to the store specifically for Narcan.

“The way the world is going on right now with drugs, children are getting a hold of them, infants, and why not have that to be on the safe side?” Pat Holmes said.

She claimed that she has teenagers, and she hopes they never have to use Narcan, but says you can never tell.

“I hope other people come and they do the same thing as I’m doing and pass this information on to younger parents. That’s what my goal is,” she said.

For Williams, the giveaway is more than just passing out Narcan, it’s about creating a community in Jackson County that helps one another.

“So, if I can pass that to the next person, that person can pass it on to the other person. It just creates more cohesion and connection with everybody,” she said.

“I think that’s the most beautiful part about doing this is just seeing the camaraderie and like all of it coming together.”

Narcan is still available for free at the Jackson County Public Health building.

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