Naloxone / Narcan Available at No-Cost
Narcan is a brand, naloxone is the drug.

Naloxone is a drug used to reverse an opioid overdose, including overdoses due to fentanyl. It is available without a prescription. After a quick training, anyone can administer naloxone to another person who has overdosed on opioids. Naloxone is available for free in Nevada County. Nevada County Public Health and Behavioral Health departments offer free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to the community. 

Naloxone in Nevada County

Nevada County Public Health offers free, anonymous distribution of naloxone and fentanyl test strips. Due to COVID-19, we are currently offering it by appointment only. Everyone is welcome. Please call or text (530) 388-6364 if you'd like more information or to make an appointment. You don't need to leave your name, but please do leave your phone number so we can get back in touch.

If you know a group of people who would benefit from having naloxone but are unlikely to come to make an appointment (for example, a group of young people who know people who are at risk of overdose), call or text Public Health at (530) 388-6364. We will work with you to see about a training of how to use naloxone and then a naloxone give-away, where we meet and offer to teach everyone how to use naloxone at a neutral location.

Nevada County Behavioral Health also offers free naloxone and fentanyl testing strips in Eastern and Western Nevada County. If you are a client of Behavioral Health, you can ask your therapist, counselor, nurse, or doctor for naloxone and/or test strips. Or, any community member can call or text for free naloxone and/or fentanyl test strips: 

• Western County/Grass Valley: (530) 687-2295
• Eastern County/Truckee: (530) 847-8142

Additional Naloxone Distributors

A number of organizations are Naloxone distributors through the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and may also carry Naloxone kits and provide Naloxone training:

• Tahoe Forest Hospital Emergency Department (Truckee) - Free, anonymous, no need to register or give a reason why it is desired. Contact: Claire da Luz, 530-582-3298, cdaluz@tfhd.com 
• Granite Wellness - 530-273-9541 (Grass Valley) and 530-587-8194 (Truckee)
• Nevada County Harm Reduction Coalition - 530-362-8163
• Gateway Mountain Center (Truckee) - 530-426-2110 (main line)
• Common Goals (clients only) - 530-274-2000
• Nevada County Adult Education (students and staff only) - Adrian Bogess or Jamie Danieli at 530-477-11225
• Young Parents Program at Silver Springs Campus (for clients and staff only) - Jolene Hardin at 530-615-0308, jhardin@njuhsd.com 
• BriarPatch Co-op (staff only) - Danielle Scallin at danielles@briarpatch.coop 
• Miners Foundry (for events and when bar is open to the public) - info@minersfoundry.org 
• Many pharmacies carry naloxone. You do not need a prescription to purchase naloxone, although pharmacies can decide whether to sell it without a prescription. Contact your pharmacy to ask if they have it in stock and sell it without a prescription. It is covered by most insurances but, it typically costs between $125 and $150 dollars to buy it without insurance. At this time, our understanding is that Walgreens and Rite Aid in Grass Valley sell it over the counter without a prescription. 

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About Naloxone & Fentanyl

• Naloxone (name of medication) or Narcan™ (a common brand name) is a drug used to reverse an opioid overdose, including overdoses due to fentanyl. It is available without a prescription and legal to carry. Opioids include heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications such as oxycodone (OxyContin®), hydrocodone (Vicodin®), codeine, and morphine. Naloxone must be given quickly and 911 should be called to respond with additional care. After a quick training, anyone can administer naloxone to another person who has overdosed on opioids. 
• Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50-100 times stronger than morphine. Many individuals consume fentanyl without their knowledge (because they don’t realize that it is in the drugs they’re using), while others are intentionally using fentanyl because of its potency.  
• Fentanyl test strips are used to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl. Because fentanyl may not be evenly distributed throughout a product (known as the chocolate chip cookie effect), test strips may not always be able to accurately detect the presence of fentanyl. 
• California's 911 Good Samaritan law (AB 472) provides limited protection from arrest, charge and prosecution for people who seek emergency medical assistance at the scene of a suspected drug overdose. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=1799.102.&lawCode=HSC