BROCKTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Blue Cross is the first healthcare provider to install opioid toolkits in workplaces in Massachusetts.
The health provider says it made the decision to install the kits after a new survey found 70 percent of Bay Staters believe Narcan should be widely available in workplaces, similar to automated external defibrillators.
Each kit is equipped with two doses of Narcan nasal spray, a surgical mask and gloves, and instructions on administering Narcan.
“The opioid crisis has grown to be one of the most devastating public health epidemics we’ve faced as a nation,” Blue Cross CEO and President Andrew Dreyfus said in a statement. “Blue Cross is teaming up with employers as part of our response to the crisis. We’re providing them with the resources they need to reverse overdoses and educate their employees, whether in an office setting, a job site or a city hall.”
Shawmut Construction, New England Regional Council of Carpenters, the city of Brockton, and the town of Ware are taking part in a pilot program to test the effectiveness of the toolkits.
Blue Cross says it plans to provide onsite employee education and Narcan training, and an online opioid resource center, with information on family support, medication safety, pain management, and opioid use disorder treatment care options.
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