More than 700 overdose reversal kits to be placed in ‘highly visible’ sites across New Hampshire

The “NaloxBox” systems will be installed in all 10 counties as part of an effort to reduce the stigma of opioid overdoses and improve access to the overdose-reversing medication naloxone

A NaloxBox installed at Amos House, which provides drug recovery services, in Providence, R.I. NaloxBox was designed to give bystanders in public areas easy and quick access to the opioid overdose antidote naloxone.Michelle Smith/Associated Press

Potentially life-saving medication will be made readily available at hundreds of sites across New Hampshire as part of a public health initiative to curb the opioid crisis, state officials announced Tuesday.

The plan is to install a “NaloxBox” in more than 700 public places across all 10 counties in a coordinated effort involving the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services and the state’s partners in substance misuse prevention, officials said.

The hard acrylic boxes will contain naloxone, a medication that can block the toxic effects of opioid overdoses. The boxes will be mounted to exterior walls to offer round-the-clock public access, while also working to reduce the stigma associated with opioid overdoses, officials said.

The publicly available naloxone will add to the resources already provided by groups like the New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition, which operates an overdose prevention van and runs weekly programs in Concord, Manchester, Rochester, Dover, and Somersworth. The group reported that its participants reversed 1,459 overdoses statewide in 2022.

Still, the state’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner reported 463 confirmed drug overdose deaths in 2022. Most were accidental, and most were caused by opioids.

Health and Human Services Chief Medical Officer Jonathan Ballard said lives are saved when naloxone is administered at the first sign of an overdose.

“During a medical emergency, every minute counts, and providing public access to life-saving medication that can reverse the impact of an overdose while it is occurring is a critical step in reducing the number of lives lost to substance use disorder,” Ballard said in a statement.

Governor Chris Sununu said these boxes will be ”yet another tool in New Hampshire’s efforts to build a robust treatment and recovery system,” while prevention remains the state’s top goal.

Any business or community entity can request a NaloxBox unit to install “in an accessible and highly visible area,” officials said. Businesses or organizations can contact state opioid response director Jennifer Sabin at [e-mail].

Others who would like to access naloxone for individual purposes, including first responders, families, and caregivers, can contact their local Doorway location.

Officials said they will work with the state’s 13 regional public health networks, the Harm Reduction Coalition, and Recovery Friendly Workplace locations to distribute the units. Those that receive a NaloxBox unit will be responsible for monitoring it and requesting refills.

This won’t be the first time a NaloxBox has been installed in New Hampshire. The units have been placed at individual sites in the Granite State and elsewhere. But officials said the scope of the coordinated statewide effort is “the first of its kind” nationwide.