The LA County West Hollywood Library is hosting a Free Narcan Clinic on Thursday, October 12, from 11am – 1pm at 625 N. San Vicente Boulevard.
In response to an increase in fentanyl and other opioid related overdoses, the La County Library West Hollywood location partnered with the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health and California Department of Health Care Services to offer free doses of Naloxone (Narcan).
Customers will need to complete a brief training on how to administer Naloxone, which will be available on site.
- No ID Required
- No Proof of Insurance
- No Cost
- Limit one per customer, while supplies last
According to Safe WeHo Community Coalition, Naloxone distribution programs are firmly rooted in the principles of harm reduction. Harm reduction is the theory that even though we may not be able to immediately fix a problem as large as drug addiction/overdose, it is our moral obligation to reduce the amount of harm caused by it in the interim. The principles of harm reduction acknowledge the reality that drug use often continues despite prevention and treatment efforts, but work to reduce the overall amount of suffering to the greatest degree currently possible.
Treating substance dependence and abuse completely are the ultimate goals of substance abuse prevention efforts. The principals of harm reduction simply emphasize that, until that goal is achieved, every measure must be taken to prevent unnecessary deaths from occurring. Reducing morbidity and mortality through expansion of naloxone distribution programs responds directly to the epidemic of unnecessary opioid overdose deaths in the same way that syringe exchange programs respond directly to the spread of HIV. Just like CPR, having the knowledge and training to administer naloxone to someone who is overdosing can be the difference between life and death.
West Hollywood Library began service to the area (then unincorporated ) in 1913. The library was previously located at Sherman School, a cottage on Clark Street, a building on Westbourne Drive, and a building near the present site. The Library has an active Friends of the Library group.
The new library was dedicated October 1, 2011.
