A new state law will require all public libraries in Illinois to stock medications that can reverse opioid overdoses after at least one library in the state reported multiple overdoses each year.
The new law, which goes into effect January 1, will require all public libraries in the state to stock opioid overdose reversal drugs and allow trained staff to administer them in the event of a suspected overdose, the Illinois Department of Public Health said earlier this month.
Many libraries across the state have already stocked overdose reversal medications like naloxone or nalmefene to help patrons who have potentially overdosed.
Opioid abuse among library patrons is “a real challenge and an unfortunate reality,” Rob Simmons, the director of social services and public safety at the Oak Park Public Library, told the Chicago Tribune.
Simmons estimated that about two or three people overdose at the library each year, often in the bathrooms.
“I think to have an intervention available on-site that can save lives is crucial,” Simmons said.
As of April, there were roughly 76,500 overdose deaths nationwide reported over the previous 12 months — their lowest level since March 2020, according to the latest available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most overdose deaths in the United States are caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid.
Naloxone, the generic name for Narcan, rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose by blocking the drug’s impact on the nervous system. Millions of doses have been administered by frontline health workers, but the nasal spray can be administered without medical training.
Staff at the Oak Park Public Library in a suburb west of Chicago have helped save the lives of about 20 people who overdosed on opioids, according to Simmons.
The Oak Park Public Library has kept naloxone supplies on hand, and supplies are replenished several times a week.
“We know opioid antagonists like Narcan, if administered when someone is having an overdose, can be very effective in preventing someone from dying from an overdose,” said Democratic state Rep. Anna Moeller, who sponsored the bill.
“Libraries are public places,” she said. “You have a lot of people who are there. It could be a place where somebody might be having an emergency like that.”
The new law isn’t expected to cost the libraries anything, according to Moeller, who said libraries can receive free opioid antagonists and training through the state.
Similar to the library in Oak Park, the public library in Evanston, a city north of Chicago, has also kept naloxone sprays stocked for community members to take when needed.
Ahead of the law going into place, the Evanston Public Library also acquired a stash of supplies to be used specifically by staff in emergencies.
Two-thirds of the Evanston Public Library’s staff have already been trained on how and when to use opioid antagonists, Ellen Riggsbee, the marketing and communications manager for the library, told the Tribune.
“We know this is just a realistic part of a library’s work,” Riggsbee said. “It’s a public library and we have to ensure the safety of everybody who comes in.”
Sure, the newspaper informed. But as it fades, those who used it for other things must adjust, too
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