Hospital Nurses to Receive Free Narcotic Overdose Kits

Charity Seeks to Reduce the Financial Distribution Barrier

HAYMARKET, Va., May 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sedona, Ltd., is providing naloxone - a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioid overdose- at no cost to hospital nurses in the Fredericksburg, Virginia metropolitan area as well as Hampton and Newport News, Virginia. Last year more than 101,750 fatal overdoses occurred primarily due to synthetic opioids such as Fentanyl.

Naloxone nasal spray was approved by the FDA for over-the-counter distribution in March 2023 but the retail cost is prohibitively high. "(Over the Counter Narcan Could Save Lives, but Price and Stigma are Obstacles " New York Times 3/28/23). A kit containing two units can cost as much as $141.50.

Virginia- based charity, Sedona, Ltd., has launched The Sooner (Sedona Opioid Overdose Narcotic Emergency Response) Project to put the lifesaving medication into the hands of hospital professionals trained in emergency resuscitation at no cost. First responders such as police, fire, and EMT's in most communities usually receive these kits for free from local health departments, but the kits are not typically given to nurses. "Hospital nurses might find themselves first on the scene in a community setting to render assistance to those affected by an opioid overdose," says Ashley Klazas, Executive Director of Sedona,Ltd. "We aim to ensure they have the medication needed to provide that assistance."

The charity is working with Fredericksburg City Pharmacy in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Glendale Pharmacy in Newport News, Virginia to stock and distribute the nasal spray kits.

Hospital nurses requesting the kits at these pharmacies will be asked to provide proof of employment at any of the six hospitals serving these communities. Each nurse will receive one kit per year while the supply lasts. Recipients will be encouraged to keep these kits readily available in pocket, purse or vehicle glove compartment.

Sedona, Ltd. is a charitable foundation providing emergency financial relief for those impacted by a health catastrophe. Established in 2022, Sedona, Ltd. seeks to assist such indigent individuals. A large number of habitual users of illicit opioids are impoverished, meaning the Sooner Project falls within the charity's mission statement by providing both the antidote and an experienced healthcare worker to immediately assist such overdose victims. For more information, visit sedonaltd.org

SOURCE Sedona, Ltd.