A drug that can reverse an overdose is at our fingertips.
“Anyone can do this,” said Alicia House, executive director of the Steve Rummler Hope
Network, headquartered in St. Paul. She says you don’t have to call 911 and you don’t have to
wait for an ambulance to help someone suffering an overdose if you have the drug naloxone.
Naloxone has helped Minnesota lower its overdose deaths by 5% in 2023 as compared to 2022,
according to the Centers for Disease Control. There is work to do as 1,200 Minnesotans still lost
their lives to drugs in 2023.
“Right now overdose is the leading cause of death for anyone between the ages of 18 to 45,”
said House.
“Steve Rummler, our namesake, was a son, a fiancé, a drummer, a runner and also someone
who suffered a severe spine injury and was put on prescription opioids,” House said. Rummler
became dependent and then addicted to opioids, saying, at one point, “At first it was a lifeline.
Now it is a noose around my neck.”
After years of battling his pain and substance use, with periods of treatment, Rummler turned
to heroin. He overdosed and passed away on July 1, 2011.
The Steve Rummler Hope Network was founded within weeks of Rummler’s death and has been
working ever since to provide resources for advocacy, education and overdose prevention in
Minnesota.
One of the program’s most robust offerings is its naloxone training. Naloxone, sold under the
brand name Narcan among others, is a drug that quickly reverses an overdose by blocking the
effects of opioids.
“At the end of the day, it saves lives,” House explained. “You can administer it and watch
someone go from not breathing to back to life. It’s a miracle.”
Equally incredible is the fact that a parent, spouse, friend or even stranger can administer
naloxone. “And everybody should,” House added. The Steve Rummler Hope Network is working
hard to increase the number of people carrying naloxone. “Minnesota has the best saturation
rate in the country,” House said. She and the organization want all Minnesotans to know how
to access and administer this life-saving drug. “You never know when you’re going to come
across someone who needs it.”
The FDA approved naloxone for over-the-counter use in April of 2023. House says you may see
naloxone on the shelf at drug stores like Walgreens or CVS for about $45, which she says is
expensive for most and that’s why her organization offers another option.
“You can access naloxone through our network and its 220 access points across Minnesota,”
House explained. These access points are sites like public health buildings, libraries, restaurants
or churches that have agreed to have naloxone kits and fentanyl testing strip kits on hand. “You
can find your closest access point and go there and receive these resources for free, no
questions asked,” House added.
A map of these access points is located on the Steve Rummler Hope Network website at:
https://steverummlerhopenetwork.org. There you’ll also find online or in-person training
options for how to administer naloxone. “Many people across the state have reached out to us
for naloxone that they never thought they were going to use,” House said. “But they ended up
utilizing it and saving a life.”
The Steve Rummler Hope Network wants people to feel confident and comfortable talking
about drug abuse and the tools to combat it. “Bring up this conversation with your family and
your loved ones,” House suggested. “The more we talk about it, the less stigmatizing it
becomes.”
This story has been brought to you in partnership with Washington County Public Health and
Environment.