People experiencing an opioid overdose near the Soulard Market in St. Louis could receive quick, lifesaving help, now that free doses of the overdose reversal drug naloxone is available there.
The St. Louis Department of Health on Thursday alerted people to a naloxone box outside its building near the market, the first of many newsstand-style distribution boxes the department plans to install throughout the city.
The nasal spray, also known by the brand name Narcan, blocks the effects of opioids in the body of someone who is overdosing. The drug also can be injected.
St. Louis Public Library and city health officials are trying to keep people from overdosing by providing free sprays and educating people about the dangers of opioids.
“For some people in the community, seeing this purple box is kind of alarming,” said Dr. Julie Gary, chief of the Behavioral Health Bureau. “But for others, they see it as a lifesaving method.”
More than 480 people in St. Louis overdosed in 2023, one fewer than the year before, according to the Health Department. More Black men and women are dying of opioid overdoses than white people in St. Louis.
The number of Black people who die of an opioid overdose in St. Louis and St. Louis County has increased by 560% since 2015, according to data from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
“The numbers are devastating. We know that Black communities are disproportionately affected,” said Dr. Mati Hlatshwayo Davis, the city's director of health. “So there's also a disparity issue.”
People from organizations that help people with addictions say the boxes could help people quickly give lifesaving help to someone experiencing an overdose.
St. Louis County's health department makes the nasal spray available at some of its library branches. The free dispenser in Soulard holds several dozen boxes of the nasal spray. An individual box contains two doses and instructions.
Health officials will open a naloxone box at City Hall in the coming weeks, as well as a second box outside the Department of Health building.
Behavioral Health Bureau officials will provide free monthly training for city employees and community groups in how to use the nasal spray.
“We’re dedicated to bringing health resources to communities where they’re most needed,” Hlatshwayo Davis said. “We want our residents to have access to Narcan and know how to use it, because it can and does save lives.”
