Fatal opioid overdoses in Clay County and across Missouri are beginning to declineand health officials say one resource is making a critical difference: Narcan.

Narcan, also known as Naloxone, can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes. Since 2023, eight machines stocked with free Narcan have been placed throughout Clay County.

Ashley Wegner, Deputy Director of the Clay County Public Health Center, says that access is saving lives.

The number one attributor that we can assign to the reduction of deaths in 2023 really is that Narcan or Naloxone that has become very readily accessible to most of the community, said Wehner.

In the Northland Health Alliance area, which includes Clay and Platte counties, the opioid overdose death rate dipped from 16.6 deaths per 100,000 pe

See Full Page