Narcan To Be Supplied To Public Libraries, YMCAs

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Drug overdose reversal medication could soon be available at your local library and YMCA as part of a national effort to address the opioid crisis.

It was just announced Wednesday that all public libraries and YMCAs across the country will be offered Narcan nasal spray and will have free opioid awareness education.

The initiative includes more than 16,000 public libraries and 2,700 YMCAs that will be offered the medication.

"Why not be prepared everywhere? There's certainly a variety of people who come to the public library," said Gwen Breisemeister, of Delano. "You just never know what kind of person is going to walk through the door and might be in need of that."

Narcan nasal spray is needle-free naloxone used as emergency treatment for opioid overdoses.

Preliminary numbers from the Minnesota Department of Health for 2017 show that more than 400 Minnesotans died in from opioid-related incidents.

The same company providing Narcan to YMCAs and libraries is also offering it to every school system in the United States.

About 3,500 schools have accepted the offer, including some in Minnesota and Wisconsin.