Astria Health Expands Access to Life-Saving Naloxone at Sunnyside and Toppenish Hospitals and five Health Centers

Astria Health Expands Access to Life-Saving Naloxone at Sunnyside and Toppenish Hospitals and five Health Centers (SUNNYSIDE, Wash., March 13, 2025) – Astria Health is pleased to announce that Naloxone (Narcan®) is now available in the emergency room waiting areas at Astria Sunnyside Hospital and Astria Toppenish Hospital, and five Astria Health Centers, at no charge. Community members can enter the Emergency Departments or Health Center lobbies and take a box from the wall-mounted cabinet without checking in at registration or answering any questions. A brochure is available to pick up with instructions for use in English and Spanish.

The idea for the box dispensers came after Astria Sunnyside Hospital Emergency Department nurse, Gretchen Wheelock was asked by a community member for Naloxone to take to a family member who was at risk of overdose. Because that person did not want to be taken the hospital, Wheelock’s hands were tied; medication can only be provided to a patient. Wanting to do more, Wheelock approached System Director of Pharmacy, Elizabeth Jensen.

In order to deploy their idea for a new program, Jensen applied for a grant from the Washington State Department of Health Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution program. Awarded in February, the grant initially supplied 200 boxes for distribution between Astria Sunnyside Hospital, Astria Toppenish Hospital and the five Health Centers. The supply is renewable monthly based on use. Jensen and Astria Toppenish Hospital Emergency Department Director, Jody Shively, RN, launched a program in 2023 to provide Naloxone to First Responders due to the significant rise in accidental exposure. In addition to providing the life-saving medication, Jensen and Astria Toppenish Hospital Pharmacy Director Lani Steltz provide ongoing education to Sunnyside, Grandview, and Toppenish First Responders throughout the year.

According to Astria Health’s 2024 Community Health Needs Assessment, “Drug overdoses and opioid misuse mark a serious public health crisis in the United States. This epidemic includes the use of heroin, prescription opioids, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Drug overdose deaths from prescription and illicit opioids in Yakima County have increased sharply since 2002.” The report shows an increase in opiod deaths from 3.37 per 100,000 residents from 2002–2004 to 27.3 per 100,000 from 2021–2023. Washington state is experiencing a similar trend. The report continued, “Washington experienced a staggering 386% increase in opioid deaths per 100,000 residents (from 5.71 to 27.76) between the two points in time. Yakima County fared worse, with an astonishing 711% increase in opioid deaths per 100,000 (from 3.37 to 27.3) in the same time frame.”

Naloxone is a medication that can temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, helping a person to start breathing again. It can be administered as an intranasal spray and is safe to use on individuals of any age, including children and adults.

Opioid overdoses can occur within seconds to hours and can be life-threatening. Exposure to, or excessive opioid use can cause a person to lose consciousness and stop breathing. Common opioids include heroin, fentanyl, and prescription pain medications such as morphine, oxycodone or hydrocodone. Physicians advocate having Naloxone on-hand if there is an opioid prescription in the home.

Recognizing and Responding to an Opioid Overdose:

• Call 911 immediately. If pill bottles, needles, or alcohol are present, inform emergency responders.
• Check for signs of overdose including slowed or no breathing, gurgling, gasping, snoring, clammy or cool skin, and blue or gray lips or nails.
• Attempt to wake the person by shaking them, calling their name, or rubbing your knuckles firmly over their chest bone. If they do not wake up, immediate action is necessary.
• Administer Naloxone according to package instructions or an overdose rescue kit. If there is no response within 3-5 minutes, a second dose should be given.
• If the person begins breathing and regains consciousness, remain with them until medical professionals arrive.
• Naloxone is effective for 30-90 minutes; once it wears off, the person may stop breathing again. Continued medical attention is necessary.
• If you must leave, place the individual in the recovery position in a visible location to ensure they receive help.

“Astria Health is committed to increasing access to life-saving resources and ensuring our communities have the tools necessary to respond to opioid-related emergencies,” stated Brian Gibbons, President and CEO of Astria Health. “By making Naloxone available at our hospitals and in several Astria Health Centers, we are taking a significant step in combating opioid overdoses and saving lives.”

For more information about Naloxone and to find a distribution location, please visit www.astria.health/naloxone.

Astria Health, headquartered in the heart of the Yakima Valley, is a non-profit healthcare system based in Eastern Washington. Astria Health is the parent organization of Astria Sunnyside Hospital and Astria Toppenish Hospital, along with 22 outpatient clinics offering primary care and specialty services, including but not limited to behavioral health, home health and hospice, neurosurgery, oncology, podiatry, rehabilitation therapy, orthopedics, and sleep medicine. For more information, visit www.astria.health.

 

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Posted March 13, 2025