Pillar to make Narcan more easily available

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - A Laredo non-profit makes a life-saving drug used to reverse opioid overdoses more accessible.

Narcan is an overdose nasal medication that is a key tool in preventing opioid-related overdose deaths which have climbed in recent years. Currently, Narcan is only available with a prescription but FDA advisers have recommended making the drug available over the counter.

PAW which stands for Positive Affirmation at Work is a program with Pillar that provides tools for free like Narcan, bleach kits, and hygiene kits to anyone who might need them.

The program director, Alexa Huerta, explained how a program like PAW makes these tools easily available. “Here at Pillar, we do outreach. Any individual that we see who tells us that they use opioids, we provide them Narcan, no questions asked. If someone tells us that they know someone who uses opioids, we provide the Narcan, no questions asked. Our job here isn’t to punish or to convince anybody to stop doing drugs. We just want to protect these people, and if they ever tell us that they want treatment, we’ll get them there,” said Huerta.

If anyone wants more information about the PAW program, they can call Pillar at 956-723-7457.

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