Narcan Use Surges in Manchester as Community Access Expands
- Riley
- 55 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Good Sunday morning, everyone, and welcome to this week’s edition of **Community Connections**. I’m your host, Riley King. Thanks for joining us—let’s get started.
Today we’re taking a closer look at a new report highlighting a surge in the use of Narcan in Manchester and across New Hampshire as community access continues to expand.
According to a report from American Medical Response, or AMR, the use of naloxone—commonly known by the brand name Narcan—has increased significantly in 2026. Health officials say the rise reflects how widely available the medication has become and how critical it is in preventing overdose deaths.
AMR officials say that in many overdose cases in Manchester, Narcan had already been administered before emergency crews even arrived at the scene. Christopher Stawasz, the Northeast regional director for AMR, says that trend shows just how much the medication has spread throughout the community.
“Over half of the people that we encountered in Manchester during February had already received Narcan by the time first responders arrived,” Stawasz said. “That gives a really clear indication that Narcan is, number one, widely available, and number two, very effective.”
Naloxone first became available in New Hampshire in 2015, and over the past decade access has expanded dramatically. Today, residents can obtain Narcan over the counter without a prescription. It’s also distributed through the state’s Doorway Program, which helps connect people to treatment and recovery services.
Stawasz says help is always just a phone call away.
“You can call 211 in New Hampshire 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and they will refer you to one of the nine Doorway locations throughout the state that are available to people,” he said.
Harm reduction organizations are also playing a key role in getting Narcan into the hands of those who need it most. The New Hampshire Harm Reduction Coalition focuses on distributing naloxone directly to people who are at the highest risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose.
“We’re trying our best to get as much naloxone out there into the hands of people who are actively using drugs,” said Lauren McGinley, the coalition’s executive director. “That’s the most critical population you want to focus distribution efforts on.”
AMR says its findings are based on data from more than 12,000 overdose cases, offering one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how naloxone is being used in emergency situations across the region.
And that does it for this week’s edition of **Community Connections**. Thanks so much for joining us. We’ll see you again next Sunday at the same time for another edition.
Have a great week, everyone. Bye for now.
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