How to Get Naloxone in PA

Individuals: In addition to accessing naloxone at their local pharmacy through the PA Department of Health's standing order, community members can request the medication at no cost through PA's statewide mail-to-home naloxone program.

Organizations & Agencies: Launched in 2017,  PCCD’s Naloxone for First Responders Program (NFRP) provides and distributes free kits containing two 4mg intranasal naloxone doses to organizations and individuals who may encounter someone experiencing an overdose ("first responders"). A wide range of community-based organizations, agencies, and other entities are eligible to receive a supply of naloxone at no cost through Centralized Coordinating Entities (CCEs) across the state, or through PCCD's NFRP request form. 

A full listing of eligible and priority first responder groups is available in the FY 2022-23 NFRP Guidelines. Some examples of just a few of the kinds of eligible first responders who can receive kits through the NFRP are below:

How Organizations Can Request No-Cost Intranasal Naloxone through NFRP

County/Regional CCEs serve as the primary point of contact for first responders within their communities to request and receive naloxone at no cost. There are currently 48 County/Regional CCEs covering all 67 counties across the Commonwealth. Contact information for these CCEs is available in the interactive map on this webpage. 

In addition to these designated County/Regional CCEs,  PCCD has also designated a state-level allocation of naloxone to supplement county/regional distribution efforts. The Statewide NFRP Portal provides naloxone to eligible organizations looking to enhance their community-based distribution efforts, with a focus on reaching individuals with the greatest risk. These include, but are not limited to, the following populations: 

• Individuals who are currently using substances; 
  
• Individuals using Syringe Service Programs (SSPs) and harm reduction services;
  
• Justice-involved individuals with SUD/OUD, including individuals leaving state prisons and county jails and people who are under supervision (e.g., probation, parole); 
• Individuals engaged in and/or leaving treatment or withdrawal management and those who are in recovery;
• Individuals who have experienced a nonfatal overdose; and
• Individuals seeking mail-to-home naloxone. 

Requests for naloxone through the NFRP's Statewide Naloxone Allocation must be made using a Statewide Naloxone Request Form. Applications from eligible organizations will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and naloxone will be distributed based on a formula adopted by the Pennsylvania Opioid Command Center's Statewide Naloxone Distribution Strategy Workgroup.

NOTE: First responders/organizations in need of naloxone should first reach out to their relevant County/Regional CCE directly prior to contacting PCCD and/or making a request for naloxone through PCCD's Statewide Naloxone Request Form. 

Other Naloxone Initiatives in PA

PA's Statewide Mail-to-Home Naloxone Program (Individuals)

Since 2020, PCCD has provided Narcan® to support a statewide mail-to-home naloxone program for individuals to request medication for personal use through a partnership with Prevention Point Pittsburgh and NEXT Distro. More information about the program, including how to request a no-cost kit, is available here. If you have questions or would like more information about this program, please contact Prevention Point Pittsburgh’s Alfred DiRosa at alfred@pppgh.org.

Technical Assistance & Support for Grassroots Organizations

In addition, PCCD has partnered with Prevention Point Pittsburgh, using a grant from the Bloomberg Philanthropies and Vital Strategies, to provide technical assistance and support to grassroots organizations seeking to start or expand community-based naloxone programs. If you are a grassroots organization interested in learning more about naloxone distribution strategies and how to access no-cost naloxone for your community, please reach out to Julia Hilbert (julia@pppgh.org) at Prevention Point Pittsburgh.

(New!) Naloxone Distribution Expansion Grants for CCEs

On January 9, 2023, PCCD and DDAP announced the availability of up to $1.5 million in federal State Opioid Response (SOR) funds to support naloxone distribution efforts and improve naloxone saturation levels across the state. Active CCEs in good standing with PCCD are eligible to apply for up to $75,000 (total) under this solicitation to support proposed project activities over up to 18 months . 

• FY 2022 CCE Naloxone Distribution Expansion Grant Funding Announcement
• Initial Request Form Templates
  
• Word document
• PDF document
  
• Link to Electronic Submittal Form (Survey Monkey): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2022_CCE_Naloxone_Minigrants

Additional Information & Resources

• Improving Naloxone Access in Pennsylvania: Naloxone for First Responders Program (2017-2022) (11/2023)
  
• FY 2022-23 NFRP Guidelines:
• PCCD_FY 2022-23 NFRP Guidelines_6.1.22.pdf (Updated 6/2/2022) 
• Naloxone Program Overview:
• Naloxone Program Overview.docx 
• Naloxone Program FAQs: 
• Updated NFRP General Public _ First Responder Groups FAQ.pdf (Updated 6/2/2022)
• Naloxone Trainings: 
• https://www.train.org/pa/admin/course/1085469/
• Naloxone Nasal Spray Demonstration - YouTube
• Statewide Mail-to-Home Naloxone Program (NEXT Distro & Prevention Point Pittsburgh)
• Naloxone (PA Department of Health) – Includes information about naloxone as well as links to standing order prescriptions for naloxone signed by the Secretary of Health, among other information, including data on rescues.
• Opioid/Heroin Reversal (Naloxone) (PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs) – Includes links to approved online training as well as information for non-licensed first responders regarding Act 139 of 2014 (David's Law).
• Sample EMS Agreement (to support non-licensed first responder agencies' compliance with Act 139 of 2014)