Those leaving Vanderburgh County's jail can request a parting gift: Narcan

EVANSVILLE — Those incarcerated at the Vanderburgh County jail will soon have the option to receive free Narcan, a drug that can reverse opioid overdoses, upon their release.

Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson unveiled the program Wednesday alongside the Evansville Recovery Alliance, which has partnered with the sheriff's office as a Narcan supplier.

Robinson said the program is, in part, a response to data showing recently released inmates face an increased risk of death by overdose.

"This partnership with the (Evansville Recovery Alliance) aims to provide a life-saving substance to these individuals who are experiencing an overdose upon release and give them another day, another chance of recovery, down the road," Robinson told reporters. "It was a pretty easy decision. We approached the Evansville Recovery Alliance, and they were very gracious and eager to partner with us."

Lavender Timmons, a co-founder of the Evansville Recovery Alliance, spoke about the program alongside Robinson. In addition to providing Narcan, Timmons said the Evansville Recovery Alliance will help formerly incarcerated people in Vanderburgh County access community resources.

"We are so excited and very grateful to be able to reach folks that have been recently incarcerated, making sure that they know that they're loved and they're cared for," Timmons said.

The Evansville Recovery Alliance, which is a non-profit organization, already provides free Narcan throughout Vanderburgh County via public dispensers.

Partnership follows nationwide and local increases in drug deaths

The arrival of additional Narcan at the jail comes as Evansville grapples with a years-long uptick in the number of fatal overdoses caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is about 100 times more potent than morphine.

Data obtained from the Vanderburgh County Coroner's Office shows that in 2022, fentanyl and heroin were responsible for 42 of 77 fatal overdoses and caused the vast majority of opioid-related deaths.

In 2015, fentanyl and heroin were implicated in just 10 deaths countywide.

"I view Narcan very similar to how we use AEDs (automated external defibrillators)," Robinson said. "We don't judge someone based on their life choices that result in them having a cardiac event, we just try to save their life. And so the mission of law enforcement is to preserve life... If an opportunity exists for us to save life, then we're going to do that."

More: As fentanyl deaths soar, providers push new treatments, harm reduction

Narcan, the brand name for the drug naloxone, is an opioid antagonist that can rapidly reverse opioid overdoses, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It works by outcompeting drugs like fentanyl and heroin for access to opioid receptors in the brain. After Narcan is administered, the effects of an opioid rapidly diminish and normal breathing can resume.

In a 2017 policy brief, NIDA stated that statistical modeling supported expanding access to Narcan. Providing Narcan to laypersons could help prevent up to 21 percent of all opioid overdoses, the agency found.

"Naloxone (Narcan) distribution programs give naloxone kits to opioid users, their friends and families, and others who may find themselves in a position to save the life of someone at risk of an opioid overdose," the brief states. "A naloxone distribution program in Massachusetts reduced opioid overdose deaths, without increasing opioid use, by an estimated 11 percent in the nineteen communities that implemented the program."

The partnership between the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office and the Evansville Recovery Alliance will operate under the Reducing Overdose After Release, or ROAR, method.

Under the ROAR protocol, inmates can receive free Narcan and referrals to community treatment organizations upon their release. Robinson said the program would be up and running at the jail within a week.

Researchers from several Oregon-based universities pioneered the ROAR methodology. In a 2020 paper, they wrote that during the first two weeks after an inmate's release, the risk of death by overdose is 12.7 times higher than in the general population, though some studies have concluded the risk is even greater.

More: Sentencing in Evansville fentanyl case highlights cost of crisis

At the Vanderburgh County jail, kits provided to former inmates will include two doses of Narcan nasal spray, links to virtual overdose reversal training and written Narcan administration instructions. Information cards will also provide facts about Indiana laws that protect people who report overdoses to emergency personnel.

"We hope with R.O.A.R., folks most at risk have the tools and resources they need to make informed decisions post-release and know how to contact us," the Evansville Recovery Alliance stated in a Facebook post. "We commend sheriff Robinson on taking this preventative measure and we look forward to seeing the direct impact (of) saving people's lives in Vanderburgh County."

The program is part of a broader push to reduce harm experienced by those suffering from addiction

Robinson has long promoted expanding access to substance abuse and mental health treatment inside the jail. In August, Robinson proposed the construction of an eight-person treatment wing as part of a jail expansion. He has also voiced support for providing medication-assisted treatment to incarcerated persons, though plans for such a program have yet to materialize.

On Wednesday, Robinson told reporters that he hoped to further integrate Evansville Recovery Alliance educational materials with existing jail resources. One example he cited was the possibility of pre-installing Evansville Recovery Alliance documents onto inmates' tablets.

"They already have access to substance abuse resources in the facility," Robinson said. "But additionally, we're going to put a link on the tablet so they can view how to use the product (Narcan) appropriately."

More: They were small-town Indiana friends. Fentanyl killed them both.

The Evansville Recovery Alliance is part of a grassroots network of activist groups that provide Narcan and other harm-reduction services to people suffering from substance use disorders. Online and in person, the organization has advocated for expanded access to high-quality treatment and for local government to take an evidence-based approach to combatting addiction.

"I wouldn't discriminate against people who are experiencing substance use disorder," Timmons said. "They deserve to live. They deserve another chance to live. We know historically that people are using substances regardless of negative consequences, so Narcan being available only makes the decision to change those pathways more available."

Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Sheriff, nonprofit unveil new Narcan program at Vanderburgh Co. jail