Narcan initiatives continue to expand at UMich and in Ann Arbor

The Emergency Medical Services Club at the University of Michigan recently launched an initiative to install boxes containing Narcan — a naloxone nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdose — around campus, starting with fraternity and sorority chapter houses. The initiative also offers a 20-minute presentation on recognizing opioid overdoses and administering Narcan.

In April 2022, the Ann Arbor District Library installed a vending machine that dispenses free Narcan at their downtown branch. Since then, the program has expanded to other AADL branches. Narcan also recently became the first over-the-counter nasal spray to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration on March 29.

The recent initiative was proposed by Kinesiology junior Sophia Ghayur, a member of the EMS Club. Ghayur told The Michigan Daily she was motivated to pitch the project after students in her hometown of Boulder, Colo., overdosed on fentanyl. After seeing other universities like the University of Arizona implement similar programs, Ghayur said she decided to reach out to EMS Club's executive board members about the idea.

Narcan boxes have since been introduced to five U-M fraternity houses: Lambda Chi Alpha, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Phi Gamma Delta, Triangle and Sigma Nu. The club is currently working to expand the program to all fraternity and sorority houses at the University.

"(We’ve) already gotten the funding for both (fraternity and sorority houses) through Central Student Government," Ghayur said. "(The University) is obviously a huge school, so we just chose to start out with fraternities at first. And we’ll be installing them into the sorority houses soon as well."

Though Narcan has been found to be highly effective in reversing overdoses, a lack of knowledge about the drug has impacted its use and availability. LSA sophomore Shane Ross, Phi Gamma Delta fraternity brother and EMS Club member, spoke with The Daily about how a critical part of expanding Narcan access is education.

"Just providing small basic knowledge may elevate someone from not knowing what to do in a situation with an overdose to just simply using the nasal injector to potentially save a life — because brain damage can occur within four to six minutes," Ross said.

LSA junior Michael Weiss, EMS Club's vice president of outreach and recruitment, emphasized the importance of educating students and community members on how to administer Narcan in an interview with The Daily.

"I just want to emphasize that the more people that know about Narcan and what it is, how to use it — the more successful (the drug is), the more lives that are going to be saved and the more people that you can help," Weiss said.

Along with installing Narcan boxes, the organization provides the fraternity houses with an informational presentation covering what Narcan is and how it is administered.

"(The presentation covers) how opioids can appear in other drugs … and is extremely safe," Yates said. "So if you don't have an overdose … There's really no negative effect. … We go over how to recognize (an overdose), different signs and then exactly the steps to call when … you suspect an overdose."

LSA junior Alexandra Yates, EMS Club president, told The Daily she believes continuing to expand Narcan access is necessary.

"(People overdosing) is becoming a growing problem," Yates said. "Narcan is a life-saving drug. There really are no downsides to using it."

Yates said the initiative has received criticism about people who receive Narcan boxes being seen as regularly taking opioids, and emphasized that the boxes are for preventing a worst-case scenario.

"I think the biggest criticism would be specifically in sororities," Yates said. "I think they think that putting this in the houses would indicate that their members do drugs. … When we do contact them, we describe it as a fire extinguisher: You don't anticipate a fire, but it's always great to have one in case you would ever need it."

Given the support the initiative has received from the U-M community following trials with fraternity houses, the EMS Club said they are hoping to expand the distribution of Narcan to students in U-M residence halls as well.

"So we’re starting with (Fraternity & Sorority) Life now, just because this is the community that's most affected," Yates said. "With the support that we’ve gotten from this project, I’m hoping that, in the next year, it's going to be implemented in all residence halls, (where) it would be accessible for the whole U-M community."

Daily Staff Reporter Sneha Dhandapani can be reached at [email protected].

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