Crossposted from Public Health Insider

Overdose is the leading cause of preventable injury death in King County, but an easy-to-use nasal spray called naloxone is saving lives. When someone overdoses on opioids like fentanyl or prescription painkillers, their breathing slows or stops. Naloxone, sometimes also called Narcan, quickly reverses the effects of opioids, often restoring normal breathing in 2-3 minutes.

Through strong community partnerships and innovative approaches, Public Health’s distribution of this life-saving tool to community-based organizations in 2025 is on pace to double that distributed in 2024. This work is funded in part through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Overdose Data to Action Grant. Read more.