Overdose Lifeline

Douglas Huntsinger, the executive director for the Office of Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement, said Indiana invested $1 million in 2020 to provide the 25,000 doses of naloxone to anyone who needed it. Now, Overdose Lifeline and the state distribute an estimated 24,000 doses a month.

Health

Indiana, Overdose Lifeline have distributed more than 1 million naloxone kits since 2020

Abigail Ruhman

Indiana has distributed more than 1 million doses of naloxone since partnering with Overdose Lifeline in 2020. Advocates and state officials said it was one of the many solutions that contributed to Indiana’s significant decrease in overdose deaths last year.

Boxes of Narcan, shown here, were stocked on a shelf at a Target in Southern Indiana in October. The products cost $45 and had anti-theft devices on them. Narcan can reverse an opioid overdose, and the medication recently became available for sale without a prescription.

Health

Narcan is sold over-the-counter now. Here’s a look at the initial rollout and what it means for access

Narcan is a nasal-spray version of the life-saving medication naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose. It recently became available over-the-counter. Heres what that means for public access.

While 14% of those who died of opioids were treated for substance misuse, only 8% of Black Americans are treated, the lowest of all groups.

Health

New grant to fund opioid study of racial disparities in Indianapolis

The IU School of Public Health in Bloomington has received a $1.7 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate the role of structural racism in stigmatization and deaths from opioid use in the Indianapolis African American community.

Ribbon cutting for the Heart Rock Recovery Center.

Local News

New recovery center opens for pregnant women and mothers

Jill Sheridan

The Heart Rock Justus Family Recovery Center, run by Overdose Lifeline, is located in the heart of the Meridian-Kessler neighborhood.

A new $178,000 grant will be used to develop training for staff and help schools implement overdose prevention programs. Schools will also be provided kits with the opioid reversal medication naloxone.

Health

Indiana schools can stock naloxone, but only a few do. One group hopes to change that

Darian Benson

A 2017 Indiana law allows school districts to stock the opioid reversal medication naloxone. Overdose Lifeline is a non-profit substance use advocacy group that wants to help equip schools to prevent overdoses.

Naloxone, a medication approved to prevent overdose by opioids, is given to individuals who showing signs of opioid overdose to block the toxic effects of the overdose.

Health

Holcomb Announces $1.3 Million For Naloxone Distribution

Associated Press

Overdose Lifeline, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit that helps those affected by substance use disorder, will distribute 35,000 doses of naloxone.

Overdose Lifeline executive director Justin Phillips says faith groups are "a natural place" for people with a substance use disorder to go for help.

Health

Opioid Response Training Offered To Faith Communities

Jill Sheridan

Overdose Lifeline worked with the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana Universitys Prevention Insights to offer the workshops.

Local News

Carmel Church Adopts New Initiative Combating Opioids

Cora Butrum

The new support group, Parents of Addicted Loved Ones, aims to empower people by teaching the dangers of substance abuse and erasing the stigma around addiction.