LITTLE ROCK — This week, the Clinton Presidential Center installed six Overdose Aid Kits throughout the campus, in partnership with the Clinton Global Initiative’s Overdose Response Network. The kits being installed contain naloxone nasal spray, commonly known as NARCAN®; a breathing mask; drug administration instructions; fentanyl testing strips; and information about treatment and recovery support.
Overdose Aid Kits make naloxone and other lifesaving resources more readily accessible in communities across the country, installed in settings where they may be needed. The kits are distributed and sold nationwide as part of the CGI Overdose Response Network’s naloxone distribution program.
Today, Clinton Center staff and volunteers also received training on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overdose and administer the lifesaving overdose-reversal medication naloxone.
“Hundreds of Arkansans die each year from drug overdoses. Last year, Arkansas saw a modest decline in overdose deaths, in part because organizations and advocates across the state have increased access to lifesaving naloxone,” said Stephanie S. Streett, executive director of the Clinton Foundation. “The Clinton Foundation is committed to supporting broader access to naloxone, helping people survive overdoses, and creating pathways to recovery. I’m proud that the Clinton Center is taking additional steps this week to help fight this tragic epidemic in Arkansas.”
The Overdose Aid Kits were installed on Wednesday, June 26. Four boxes are located inside the museum and two are positioned outside – one by the museum entrance, and one outside of the Choctaw Building.
“We are working to combat the overdose crisis by empowering individuals to identify and respond to an opioid overdose with naloxone,” said Jessica Geschke, Senior Project Manager of the Overdose Response Network. “The Clinton Center is a hub of community activity and is an ideal venue for the Overdose Aid Kits. We are grateful to the staff and volunteers who are increasing access to naloxone, the life-saving overdose reversal medication.”
The Clinton Foundation has a long-standing commitment to overdose response. In 2012, President Clinton announced that the Clinton Foundation would work to address the overdose crisis. For over a decade, the Foundation, and the Overdose Response Network (ORN) has worked to stop overdose deaths, reduce stigma that stops people from getting the help they need, and get resources and training to community leaders. For over a decade, the network has fought the addiction and overdose crisis across the country:
Naloxone Distribution: ORN makes lifesaving naloxone – which can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose – available to who need it through strategic partnerships with drugmakers, advocacy and community organizations, and public and private sector groups.
Faith Leader Engagement: ORN convenes faith leaders across different faith traditions, equips them with the skills and resources needed to organize community members, reduce the stigma of addiction, and confront substance use disorders in their communities. ORN has convened two cohorts of faith leaders in Little Rock.
Overdose Aid Kits: Just like public buildings are equipped with fire extinguishers, defibrillators, and epi-pens; ORN, in collaboration with Start Healing Now, is making these kits available in communities across the country.
Organizations looking to learn more about Overdose Aid Kits and participate in the program should visit: https://www.clintonfoundation.org/oak
