A California-based nonprofit is working with the Arkansas Department of Human Services to provide naloxone and training resources in the hands of the community, one county at a time.
Naloxone is an overdose reversal medication that is sometimes referred to by the brand name Narcan. Sierra Jeans is the outreach and fulfillment coordinator for Arkansas for EndOverdose.net. She said funding for their work comes from Arkansas’ state opioid response four funding, or SOR IV.
Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that overdose deaths in Arkansas decreased by nearly 14% from 2022 to 2023, with preliminary statistics from 2023 to 2024 showing a 16% decrease. Jeans says a focus of their work is working in rural communities to provide more training and awareness.
Jeans is a native of Hot Springs, and she says that based on her upbringing, she knows that stigma can be a major barrier to learning more about overdose treatments and using naloxone.
