Written by Nate King
Sarina Post
Packaging labels got in the way when Saline County Health Department officials were distributing about $30,000 worth of naloxone.
Back in September, the Saline County Health Department received 240 boxes containing naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray devices, a drug that reverses opioid overdoses.
Who is sending this huge shipment of life-saving medicine? The Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Saline County Health Director Jason Tiller said staff were only notified two days before receiving the package.
“We have it (naloxone), and maybe one day it will come,” Tiller said. “So it wasn’t 100% a complete surprise. When we first received it, we were excited, because then it was, ‘How do we get this out to the community?’
A total of six counties received shipments of naloxone in September. Tiller said KDHE decided which doses to ship to each county based on data showing high rates of illicit opioid use.
“I think the group that was actually in charge of this issue at KDHE used information from maybe a year or two ago to ultimately select six counties,” Tiller said. “There were a lot of steps along the way that probably could have been done differently. But either way, this is where we got to.”
From 2012 to 2021, there were 91 drug overdose deaths in Saline County, according to KDHE. This corresponds to an average of 17.55 deaths per 100,000 people over a 10-year period.
In September 2022, KDHE released an assessment that found 21 of Kansas’ 105 counties to be “relatively most vulnerable” to opioid overdose-related deaths.
In addition to Saline County, Sedgwick, Reno, Shawnee, Douglas and Sumner counties also made the list.
Tiller’s plan to distribute naloxone throughout Saline County was quickly put on hold due to what he described as bureaucracy and KDHE’s lack of planning.
The naloxone machines delivered to the Saline County Health Department are not labeled as commercially available. It is labeled Prescription Only or His Rx Only.
Tiller said state law governs who can distribute Rx-only naloxone and how. But he says his two drugs are the same, except for the packaging.
“It’s the same drug. For example, you can walk into a CVS or another drug store that has naloxone OTC, but it’s listed as OTC or over-the-counter,” Tiller said. “Rx-only drugs have different laws and regulations, so we can’t just hand them out, which is very painful.”
Three days after SCHD received the shipment, KDHE sent an email to health directors in the six counties that received the naloxone, telling them not to distribute the drug until further guidance.
“KDHE is similar to other state organizations. Because of its size, there can sometimes be a disconnect between different divisions and divisions,” Tiller said.
For about a month, Tiller begged KDHE for a solution by phone and email.
“Honestly, it was probably less of a conversation and more of me harassing them about whether or not they understood it yet,” Tiller said.
Ultimately, KDHE hosted a webinar on Oct. 17 to inform health directors of its plans to distribute naloxone to first responders.
As of November 14, all 240 boxes had been deployed to first responder groups.
The Saline County Emergency Department and Salina Police Department each received 80 boxes, and the Saline County Sheriff’s Office received 60 boxes, said Annabelle Fort, a health educator with the Saline County Health Department.
