The nation’s overdose crisis has found its way into every corner of society – including the workplace. But, thanks to local organizations leading the charge, community members and employers have easier access to lifesaving medication, helping to turn the tide on the epidemic.
The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that drug overdose deaths dropped 25% nationwide in the 12 months preceding October 2024. Indiana also saw a drop in reported overdose deaths during that time, declining nearly 22% from 2,318 by October 2023 to 1,782 one year later, the data indicates.
One of the leading factors the CDC attributes to the decline in overdose deaths is an increase in the widespread distribution of overdose reversal medication like Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan. Distribution efforts of Naloxone have expanded nationwide in both community outreach and in the workplace, where overdose deaths have increased by over 600% since 2011, according to the National Safety Council. Data collected by the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), part of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities (IIF) program, shows that unintentional overdose from nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol on the job has increased greatly over the last decade, totaling 512 in the workplace in 2023.
Easier Access
Making the distribution of Naloxone easier in Indiana was the passage of Aaron’s Law, passed in Indiana in 2015 and allowing individuals to obtain the medication with a prescription and administer the drug with civil and criminal protections. The law was amended in 2016 to remove the standing order of needing a prescription, opening up opportunities for more access to Naloxone.
The law was created in partnership with former state Sen. Jim Merritt and Justin Phillips, the mother of 20-year-old Aaron Sims who died from a heroin overdose in 2013. Phillips is the founder and executive director of Overdose Lifeline, Inc., a nonprofit that provides education, support and advocacy to those affected by substance abuse disorder.
As part of the outreach, Overdose Lifeline has provided over 20,000 Naloxone kits to first responders and members of the public in over 70 counties. Phillips said the organization has distributed about 650 NaloxBoxes, made Naloxone available to the public in 17 repurposed vending machines, and works with about 175 grassroots distributors to further the lifesaving medicine’s reach.
Phillips said her organization has been working with business leaders, in part through a partnership with the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and their wellness council, to address opioid use disorder and overdose in the workplace through education and Naloxone distribution efforts. She said establishments like bars and restaurants have been receptive to receiving Naloxone for emergency use. She noted that the organization has been adjusting training programs in a variety of ways to tailor those programs to specific audiences. She said a larger focus has been placed on the construction industry, where there is an increased instance of overdose.
“Those partnerships in the construction industry have gone well because there is quite a bit of instance in that field for obvious reasons, like the use of opioids for pain management,” she said. “But we work with businesses in other industries, too. Naloxone on any job site is so important.”
Northwest Focus
The Link4Life Naloxone program, operating under the Sounds of Sarah, Inc. nonprofit organization, is one of the distributors that works with Overdose Lifeline in increasing education about and access to Naloxone in areas throughout Northwest Indiana. Patty Stovall launched the organization after her daughter, Sarah, unknowingly received something laced with fentanyl and died from fentanyl poisoning in 2021. Through the organization, Stovall works to provide education, public services and prevention assistance through public speaking, training, and distribution efforts. The organization has been responsible for the distribution of over 14,000 units of Naloxone over the last two years. The organization has funding to place Naloxone boxes in public spaces, organizations and businesses throughout Lake County and additional funding resources to extend distribution to other areas.
“We can provide the Naloxone boxes through Sounds of Sarah in all of the counties in the area, including Porter, Jasper, La Porte, wherever anyone needs it in this service area,” she said.
Sounds of Sarah was one of the organizations to receive one of the vending machines in 2022. It is located at the fire station in Griffith, Lake County. Stovall said the machine can hold over 300 Naloxone kits, and on average, she fills the machine with 175 to 200 kits every month.
“I also provide Naloxone at events that I attend every month,” she said. “We have Naloxone boxes available to businesses for whoever would like to have them in their establishment. They have access to them 24/7. I can go through over 500 a month distributing them.”
Breaking the Stigma
Phillips and Stovall said a large part of their outreach to the business community is education for employers to help break the stigma and normalize the addition of Naloxone in their first aid kits.
“If we want to retain employees, we want to provide them with support. Sometimes that support is about harm reduction and emergency medication,” said Phillips. “In a similar way that we put AEDs in workplaces to react to a situation or we have EpiPens in public places, we should Naloxone in those places as well.”
Stovall said the stigma remains around drug use, and who the substance user is. Oftentimes, the victim of an overdose isn’t someone with an addiction, she said.
“We must note that it can happen, knowingly or unknowingly, on a construction site, in an office, or in an establishment. Someone could take one thing and have an overdose,” she said. “It can happen to anyone at any time in any place. Providing that training can break down that stigma and help save a life.”
