Illinois hospitals send overdose antidote home with patients

OAK LAWN, Ill. (AP) – Two hospitals in a Chicago suburb are sending home an opioid-overdose antidote with patients who seek treatment for opioid overdoses or addictions.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Advocate Christ Medical Center and Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn recently started giving naloxone kits to patients who come to their emergency rooms for help regarding opioids. Naloxone is used to block the effects of opioids during overdoses.

Other Chicago-area hospitals are considering similar measures to curb the increasing number of deaths from opioids.

Illinois Department of Public Health data show that 2,110 people died after overdosing on opioids last year.

The hospitals’ kits are free to patients and include medication, syringes, dosing instructions and information about local resources. The kits are supplied by the Chicago Recovery Alliance, an organization that seeks to reduce drug-related harm.

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