Naloxone Access
Overdose-reversing medicine available at The Wright Center and across Pennsylvania
Individuals and groups can get free naloxone and other harm-reduction supplies at The Wright Center for Community Health, which is a Recognized Entity participating in the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program (POPP).
Naloxone is a safe, easy-to-use, life-saving medication. It has been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose by restoring a person’s breathing.
Visit any Wright Center clinic in Lackawanna, Luzerne, or Wayne counties to request a naloxone kit. Among our locations:
- Hawley Practice, 103 Spruce St., Hawley. Phone: 570-576-8081.
- Mid Valley Practice, 5 S. Washington Ave., Jermyn. Phone: 570-230-0019.
- Scranton Practice, 501 S. Washington Ave., Scranton. Phone: 570-941-0630.
- Wilkes-Barre Practice, 169 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Phone: 570-491-0126.
It is not necessary to be a Wright Center patient or to provide identifying information to receive naloxone or supplies such as drug-checking strips (designed to detect xylazine or fentanyl).
The Wright Center is one of POPP’s many community-based distributors of supplies and a proud partner in this statewide effort to decrease opioid-related deaths. The program aims to reach individuals who have the greatest risk of experiencing an overdose, such as people who are currently using substances and people who know someone currently using substances.
Naloxone has become more widely available in recent years, thanks in part to a standing order from Pennsylvania’s Acting Secretary of Health that gives the general public a prescription to acquire it through pharmacies and other outlets. And, as of September 2023, certain naloxone products were federally approved for over-the-counter use.
Get trained on naloxone use
The Wright Center promotes training to ensure people know how to use naloxone. While the medicine can be administered by anyone, with or without medical training, individuals are strongly encouraged to take advantage of free instruction to better prepare themselves to assist someone in need. Click here to access online training.
“Naloxone is a life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. You never know when you can save a life. Thanks to programs here in Northeast Pennsylvania and across the commonwealth, naloxone is becoming more readily available, and more lives are being saved because of it.”
– Scott Constantini
Associate vice president of primary care and recovery services integration, The Wright Center for Community Health
Find other sites with naloxone kits
Below is a partial list of POPP’s Recognized Entities in the Northeast region, which have agreed to distribute harm-reduction supplies provided by the state. Be sure to check POPP’s interactive map for the most recent updates on participating locations. Click here to view the see the Pennsylvania Overdose Prevention Program map.
- Lackawanna County – Pennsylvania Ambulance, 1000 Dunham Dr., Dunmore. Phone: 570-499-3895.
- Luzerne County – Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Drug and Alcohol Program, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre. Phone: 570-826-8732.
- Susquehanna County – Susquehanna County Coroner’s Office, 309 Public Way, New Milford. Phone: 570-278-6630.
Additionally, individuals can request small amounts of Narcan nasal spray or intramuscular naloxone through a mail-to-home program. For information about the program, offered through a partnership between the nonprofits Prevention Point Pittsburgh and NEXT Harm Reduction, click here to learn more about the mail-to-home program.
Why harm reduction?
An average of 14 Pennsylvanians die each day from accidental drug overdose. The ongoing prescription opioid and heroin overdose epidemic, which has swept across the United States in the past decade, struck Pennsylvania especially hard, at times resulting in a statewide overdose fatality rate more than twice the national average.
Harm-reduction strategies are widely seen as effective ways to prevent overdoses, decrease the transmission of infectious diseases, and promote life-saving connections between people who use drugs and treatment programs.
Evidence suggests that naloxone does not lead to more or riskier drug use. Rather, people revived by the medication may find that the near-death experience serves as a wake-up call, compelling them to seek treatment and maintain recovery.
Connect with help
The Wright Center for Community Health, a Scranton-based provider of primary and preventive care services, became a state-designated Opioid Use Disorder Center of Excellence in 2016. Since then, it has provided outpatient addiction treatment and recovery services, including medication-assisted treatment, to thousands of people in Northeast Pennsylvania. Click here to learn more about the services available through our Center of Excellence or call 570-230-0019.
POPP was launched in mid-2023 as a joint initiative between the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Click here to learn more about POPP.
To find drug and alcohol treatment providers in Pennsylvania, call 1-800-662-HELP or click here to visit the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs.
