Providing Naloxone kits to help reverse the deadly effects of opioid overdose

Feb. 14, 2024

Video

Working to combat the opioid epidemic

Video transcript

Instrumental music plays throughout. A montage shows a large group of people preparing kits. White text appears over a blue background in the lower left of the screen. Dr. Abbie Miller is speaking.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Hopkins, MN

ABBIE: We are packing Naloxone kits.

WOMAN VOLUNTEER: Down here, you guys have the most important job.

A small bottle of Naloxone appears and then cuts to Dr. Abbie Miller interviewing. White text over a blue background appears in the lower left of the screen.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Dr. Abbie Miller

E&l Chief Medical Officer for MN, ND, SD

UnitedHealthcare

ABBIE: Naloxone is an opioid overdose reversal medication.

A montage shows employees training volunteers in a classroom. Then returns to Abbie interviewing.

ABBIE: So the Fairview employees will be training the UnitedHealthcare volunteers on Naloxone kits, and then together they're going to create 700 kits.

A montage shows a large group of people preparing kits as well as a close-up of three small Naloxone bottles. Then to Ingrid Johansen interviewing. White text over a blue background appears in the lower left of the screen.

INGRID: Every kit contains three doses of the life-saving medication called Naloxone. The kits also include all of the equipment that you need to administer that in an emergency.

A montage shows blue medical gloves, and video of volunteers packing kits, and then returning to Ingrid interviewing. Ingrid continues speaking.

INGRID: Some PPE or personal protective equipment, and a instruction card on how to do this with some visuals in case you are in a high-stress situation administering this and need a few reminder cues.

A montage shows a large group of people preparing kits. Ingrid continues speaking.

INGRID: Together as partners, we're supporting another community organization that provides free access to Naloxone all across the state of Minnesota. So employees are volunteering their time to actually assemble Naloxone kits that will be distributed around the state.

Amie Hoffmann interviews in the volunteer room. White text over a blue background appears in the lower left of the screen.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Amie Hoffmann

UnitedHealthcare volunteer

AMIE: It can be easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day, but events like this are such a reminder and testament to the impact that we can have.

A montage shows a large group of people preparing kits. Alicia House in interviewing in the volunteer room. White text over a blue background appears in the lower left of the screen.

ONSCREEN TEXT: Alicia House

Executive Director

Steve Rummler HOPE Network

ALICIA: Right now, overdose is the number one leading cause of accidental death, and the number one leading cause of death period in those between the ages of 18 and 45. We want to make sure that people are aware about the risks of illicit substances, and also about resources out there in order to hopefully practice safer use…

A montage shows a box of Naloxone bottles and a large group of people preparing kits. Alicia continues speaking.

ALICIA: …or keep somebody alive who may otherwise be at risk of a potentially fatal overdose. It is a crisis. It has been labeled an epidemic, and it's important that we continue to put resources into combating this so that we can save lives.

ABBIE: The individuals who are impacted, this has touched so many lives. Sending those kits out into the community for first responders, those 700 kits could save 700 lives.

Music swells. Three blue lines circle in forming a U over a white background. Blue text appears in the center of the screen. The music fades out.

ONSCREEN TEXT: United

Healthcare

The screen fades to black.

Opioid overdose deaths in Minnesota has consistently risen since 2019, according to data from the Minnesota Department of Health. During that time:

From 2019 to 2020, there was a 58% increase in overdose deaths
From 2020 to 2021, there was a 44% increase in overdose deaths

This increase in opioid deaths is why health care professionals are increasing educational efforts around naloxone (also known as Narcan) to help save lives. Naloxone is a medication that rapidly reverses the effects of opioids. It can quickly save the life of someone suffering from an overdose and it can be administered as an injection or nasal spray.

When a person administers naloxone during an opioid overdose, naloxone disables an opioid’s harmful effects to the brain, temporarily reversing an opioid overdose. It is only effective for an opioid overdose and is otherwise harmless. The effects of naloxone wear off after 30-45 minutes.

“Overdose is the number one leading cause of accidental death and the number one cause of death period between those ages 18 to 45,” said Alicia House, executive director of the Steve Rummler Hope Network. “It is a crisis and it has been labeled an epidemic and it is important that we put resources into combatting this so we can save lives.”

The need for naloxone is why volunteers from UnitedHealthcare joined Fairview Health Services and the Steve Rummler Hope Network to assemble naloxone kits.

Representatives from Fairview and Steve Rummler Hope Network answered questions and provided a training session before two shifts of UnitedHealthcare volunteers assembled more than 700 naloxone kits. The kits were collected and distributed to first responders at locations across the Twin Cities.

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