Combatting the Opioid Epidemic: New York Libraries Save Lives

To combat the continuing rise in opioid related deaths in New York State, laws were recently amended to allow New York State’s public libraries to administer opioid antagonists (naloxone) in library facilities by partnering with a New York State Department of Health Registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Program operated by another organization.

As part of a coordinated statewide effort, the New York State Library, the State Education Department, the State Department of Health, the New York Library Association, the Public Library System Directors Organization, and the Harm Reduction Coalition collaborated to create Guidance for Implementing Opioid Overdose Prevention Measures in Public Libraries to help all New York State libraries implement their own opioid overdose prevention programs.

Program Materials

Additional Information and Resources

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