Governor’s opioid disaster declaration eases access to naloxone

WASILLA — On Wednesday, Gov. Bill Walker announced a Declaration of Disaster Emergency for Alaska’s opioid addiction epidemic, citing a rising rate of deaths and overdose from opioids, fentanyl and new synthetic opioids.

The declaration of opioid addiction as “an outbreak and a condition of public health disaster emergency” includes an authorization of “a statewide medical standing order allowing local and regional overdose response programs, healthcare officials, first responders, and the general public to have the ability to directly dispense and administer the lifesaving drug naloxone.”

The declaration is a big change for how naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdose, can be administered.

Previous to the declaration, the Alaska Dept. of Health and Social Services had been planning on connecting Mat-Su Valley non-profits with physicians who could give standing orders that would allow them to distribute and administer naloxone, DHSS section chief Andy Jones said last week.

Jones said then that the department was hoping a broader state-backed standing order would be coming online within a few weeks.

Jones met with local volunteers and members of non-profits at MyHouse on Feb. 9 to assemble 1,600 naloxone kits for distribution through the non-profits.

During a Thursday address on the opioid epidemic, Gov. Walker held up a naloxone kit.

“This saves lives,” he said.

Funding for the kits comes from a federal grant of $4.2 million dollars, to be disbursed over five years, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

In a letter to state legislators, Walker said that funding for the declaration will come from existing federal grants and moneys already destined for DHHS for work fighting the opioid epidemic, and that no new funds will be required from the Disaster Relief Fund or State General Funds.

On Thursday, Gov. Walker gave a video-streamed address in the Cabinet Room, to lay out the next steps for his administration in the fight against the opioid addiction epidemic.

He also signed Administrative Order 283, which orders all state departments to apply for federal grants to assist with such things as addiction prevention and treatment and keeping hard street drugs from coming into Alaska.

As part of the plan, the Walker administration is setting up an Incident Command System, led by Alaska Chief Medical Officer Jay Butler, which will meet weekly to process information and plan the state’s response to the opioid addiction epidemic.

During a Q&A session with reporters, Walker said he will support legislation to address the opioid epidemic as well.

“This session, you’ll see legislation associated with this issue,” he said. “There already is legislation out there this session, so we’re looking to add some of these on, or introduce some of our own.”

Butler said that instructions that come with the naloxone kits direct the person administering the drug in three phases – assessment, administration, and calling 9-1-1 while keeping the person in a safe place while waiting for help to arrive.

“It’s kind of like CPR — when you administer it, you don’t always know what is the cause of the problem,” Butler said.

He added that the standing order for naloxone will help save lives in the immediate-term, but more work needs to be done to provide treatment options for people with opioid addiction.