HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs Fire Department has launched a free Narcan distribution program aimed at expanding public access to the overdose-reversal medication naloxone as part of a broader community health and safety effort.
The initiative, developed in partnership with the Hanley Foundation, the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Department of Health, includes the installation of Narcan distribution units at publicly accessible sites throughout the city.
Current cabinet locations include High Springs City Hall and the High Springs Fire Department, with additional sites expected as the program grows. The cabinets contain free Narcan nasal spray, available for emergency use or prevention.
Narcan, also known by its generic name naloxone, is a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Public health agencies across Florida, including in Alachua County and surrounding North Central Florida communities, have increasingly promoted wider access to naloxone in recent years as part of ongoing opioid-response and overdose prevention strategies.
Fire departments, law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations and health providers throughout the region have expanded education and prevention efforts, recognizing that overdoses can occur in a variety of settings and may involve both illegal opioids and legally prescribed medications.
High Springs Fire Department Risk Reduction Coordinator Kyle Livingston emphasized that the city’s program is intended as a proactive safety measure.
“This resource is not a reaction to a problem,” Livingston said. “But rather, another preventative tool in the toolbox of community health and safety.”
Livingston said Narcan is often placed alongside automated external defibrillators because overdoses require immediate medical intervention.
“In many locations, Narcan is placed with AEDs because an overdose is a medical emergency, and every second matters,” he said. Placing the tools together, he added, empowers the public “to help before first responders arrive.”
The program is intended to provide quick access to naloxone in moments of need by placing it at strategic locations where community members can obtain it without cost.
Fire department officials said free Narcan distribution can support a range of situations beyond illicit drug use, including individuals managing chronic pain with opioid prescriptions, patients experiencing cognitive decline where accidental double-dosing may occur, and cases of accidental exposure to opioids.
Health experts have noted that naloxone has become a key component of overdose prevention strategies because it can be administered quickly and has no effect if opioids are not present, making it a widely recommended tool for emergency preparedness.
The Narcan outreach effort is part of the department’s broader Community Outreach mission and complements several other ongoing public safety initiatives.
Those programs include bystander thank-you cards that provide mental health resources, an American Red Cross smoke detector distribution program, child car seat safety checks, the CarFIT program for older drivers, bicycle helmet fittings, CPR instruction and Stop the Bleed classes.
Officials said the department hopes the Narcan cabinets will serve as another accessible community tool while strengthening partnerships already active across Alachua County’s public health and emergency response network.
Organizations or businesses interested in hosting a Narcan cabinet or receiving overdose response training are encouraged to contact Community Risk Reduction Coordinator Kyle Livingston at 386-454-6210 or klivingston@highsprings.gov for more information.
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Email cwalker@
alachuatoday.com
HIGH SPRINGS – The High Springs Fire Department has launched a free Narcan distribution program aimed at expanding public access to the overdose-reversal medication naloxone as part of a broader community health and safety effort.
The initiative, developed in partnership with the Hanley Foundation, the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Florida Department of Health, includes the installation of Narcan distribution units at publicly accessible sites throughout the city.
Current cabinet locations include High Springs City Hall and the High Springs Fire Department, with additional sites expected as the program grows. The cabinets contain free Narcan nasal spray, available for emergency use or prevention.
Narcan, also known by its generic name naloxone, is a medication used to rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Public health agencies across Florida, including in Alachua County and surrounding North Central Florida communities, have increasingly promoted wider access to naloxone in recent years as part of ongoing opioid-response and overdose prevention strategies.
Fire departments, law enforcement agencies, nonprofit organizations and health providers throughout the region have expanded education and prevention efforts, recognizing that overdoses can occur in a variety of settings and may involve both illegal opioids and legally prescribed medications.
High Springs Fire Department Risk Reduction Coordinator Kyle Livingston emphasized that the city’s program is intended as a proactive safety measure.
“This resource is not a reaction to a problem,” Livingston said. “But rather, another preventative tool in the toolbox of community health and safety.”
Livingston said Narcan is often placed alongside automated external defibrillators because overdoses require immediate medical intervention.
“In many locations, Narcan is placed with AEDs because an overdose is a medical emergency, and every second matters,” he said. Placing the tools together, he added, empowers the public “to help before first responders arrive.”
The program is intended to provide quick access to naloxone in moments of need by placing it at strategic locations where community members can obtain it without cost.
Fire department officials said free Narcan distribution can support a range of situations beyond illicit drug use, including individuals managing chronic pain with opioid prescriptions, patients experiencing cognitive decline where accidental double-dosing may occur, and cases of accidental exposure to opioids.
Health experts have noted that naloxone has become a key component of overdose prevention strategies because it can be administered quickly and has no effect if opioids are not present, making it a widely recommended tool for emergency preparedness.
The Narcan outreach effort is part of the department’s broader Community Outreach mission and complements several other ongoing public safety initiatives.
Those programs include bystander thank-you cards that provide mental health resources, an American Red Cross smoke detector distribution program, child car seat safety checks, the CarFIT program for older drivers, bicycle helmet fittings, CPR instruction and Stop the Bleed classes.
Officials said the department hopes the Narcan cabinets will serve as another accessible community tool while strengthening partnerships already active across Alachua County’s public health and emergency response network.
Organizations or businesses interested in hosting a Narcan cabinet or receiving overdose response training are encouraged to contact Community Risk Reduction Coordinator Kyle Livingston at 386-454-6210 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.
# # #
Email cwalker@
alachuatoday.com