In 2023, Iowa had a total of 361 deaths from overdoses. 85.6% of these had at least one potential opportunity for intervention. Out of those 361 overdoses, 213 — over half — involved an opioid of some kind, including fentanyl. 

Naloxone, also known by the prescription name Narcan, saves lives by reversing an opioid overdose. First-Year Senator Sean Groh took notice of a lack of Narcan and fentanyl awareness on campus when he first arrived on campus last August.

“Coming from Chicago, in a very large city, fentanyl awareness is preached,” Groh said. “Narcan is very easily accessible. You can get it at the CVS, the Walgreens, wherever you walk to, you’re able to get it. Drake didn’t have any of that.”

Once realizing the need for awareness, Groh partnered with Ann Breeding, the founder and organizer of Steps of Hope Iowa, and Melanie Laws, the regional director of Behavioral Health Group for Arizona, Idaho and Iowa Arizona, Idaho and Iowa to bring both Narcan and Narcan education to Drake’s campus.

“Back in the day, if you wanted to try a substance, you didn’t die from that,” Breeding said. “Today, your chances of dying from that are really great. It’s important for young people to understand the urgency and have an awareness and also be prepared in case of an emergency situation to be able to save a life.”

Narcan: a life-saving medication

Naloxone is an opioid antagonist that attaches to the opioid receptors in the brain, reversing and blocking the effects of an opioid overdose. This restores normal breathing to a person experiencing an overdose. While life saving, naloxone only works in the event of an opioid overdose. 

Naloxone works for only 30-90 minutes. Because many opioids remain in the body for longer, it is still possible for someone to experience overdose after naloxone wears off, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Depending on the kind and strength of the opioid, multiple doses of naloxone may be needed. 

Naloxone has no effect on someone without an opioid in their system and is harmless when used on someone not experiencing an overdose. If you suspect someone is overdosing it’s better to use Narcan than to not. 

NIDA recommends calling 911 immediately in the event of an overdose, even after the administration of naloxone. The person experiencing overdose should be observed constantly before help arrives and monitored for two hours after the last administered dose of naloxone.

Thanks to Groh’s initiative, Steps of Hope Iowa will be providing all Narcan on campus. It is currently available earlier this month in all residence halls and in a dispensary box in the Olmsted breezeway next to Student Services. This dispensary box was also provided by Steps of Hope Iowa, and the Narcan it houses is available to anyone. In addition, Employee and Family resources provided all Resident Assistants with training on how to administer the life-saving medication. 

This isn’t Drake’s first introduction to Narcan, as for the past few years Drake Public Safety has been equipped with the medication both in their cruisers and their office.

“The most important thing that anybody should be thinking about if someone is experiencing an overdose is saving that person’s life,” said Dean of Students Jerry Parker.

Parker urges students who are not in a residence hall, Olmsted or a fraternity or sorority house to call 515-271-2222 if someone is overdosing so Public Safety can provide the medication.

Steps of Hope 

Ann Breeding started Steps of Hope Iowa after the loss of her son in late 2020 after his “12-year journey of chaotic substance abuse.” On May 20, 2021, what should have been her son’s 30th birthday, she held an overdose awareness walk after reaching out to another mom who had lost her child for advice. 

“‘[That mom] said, ‘All it takes is a mom who needs to do something. You create a Facebook event page and you show up to walk,’ and so that’s exactly what I did.” Breeding said.  

Breeding prayed for direction, and after, the name Steps of Hope was “put on her heart” with a strong feeling that this was what she was meant to do. The next year, that was what she called the event.

With the help of a family from her church, Steps of Hope was able to achieve 501c3 nonprofit organization status. Another family from her church helped build their website. 

Iowa has a standing order for naloxone prescriptions that allows a person to walk into a pharmacy, ask for the prescription and ask if they still go by the standing order. Through this process of acquiring life-saving medication, a person will have to answer generally three questions: if the person themselves is at risk, a family or friend of an at-risk individual, a first responder, or in a position to help someone in the event of an overdose; if the person acquiring the medication is allergic to naloxone; and if the person acquiring the medication understands how to administer naloxone. The recipient also has to sign off on everything. At the time of reporting some pharmacies have switched naloxone to an over-the-counter medication while others still abide by the standing order, offering it as a behind-the-counter medication.

Breeding explained that substance abuse disorder has the stigma and shame of a moral failing attached, often hindering people from getting the help they need. 

“When I walked away from that situation, I looked at my husband and said, ‘There’s no way that my child would have gone in there and experienced the shame and stigma to get one naloxone kit from that pharmacy,’” said Breeding. “That’s when I thought, how am I going to get naloxone] into the hands of everybody without shame, without stigma and no questions asked?”

Breeding found the answer in 2023 when she saw what appeared to be an old newspaper Box with naloxone in it on social media. After reaching out over Facebook, she met with the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition about what they could do to get naloxone into people’s hands. 

During the time between her son’s birthday and Aug. 31, Overdose Awareness Day, Breeding ordered the first naloxone box for $420, starting the Steps of Hope’s naloxone box project. Today, there are roughly 35 boxes in 20 counties across Iowa. Breeding is also working to get fentanyl test strips legalized within the state of Iowa, as they’re currently classified as drug paraphernalia.

“Back in the day, if you wanted to try a substance, you didn’t die from that,” Breeding said. “Today, your chances of dying from that are really great. It’s important for young people to understand the urgency and have an awareness and also be prepared in case of an emergency situation to be able to save a life.”

Groh hopes to expand his initiative out to a second phase, with all fraternity, sorority and multicultural organization houses having Narcan available and members trained to administer the medication. He hopes to initiate a third phase shortly thereafter, the goal of which is to expand  Narcan availability to academic buildings and have 60% of students trained to administer Narcan by Relays of this year.