Public libraries in the 5th State Senate District just got a little bit safer, thanks to the addition of Narcan — or naloxone — a medication that can be used to reverse or reduce the effects of an opioid overdose.
State Sen. Steve Rhoads, who has spearheaded the potentially lifesaving initiative, unveiled the program at the East Meadow Public Library on Oct. 16. All 12 libraries in his district will be equipped with wall-mounted naloxone rescue kits.
Rhoads said Nassau County’s 54 libraries receive a total of more than 6.5 million visitors every year. In total, they host an average of 125 programs a day, and last year, 775,000 people attended at least one program at a Nassau County public library.
“Libraries are more than just book repositories,” he said. “They are community centers, classrooms, senior hubs, youth spaces, workforce training sites, and now lifesaving access points.”
Joining Rhoads in rolling out the kits were directors and staff from the libraries within his district, as well as local first responders and representatives from the Long Island Council on Alcoholism & Drug Dependence, and the state’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports.
A total of 20 Narcan rescue kits will be mounted on library walls within the district, which includes Bellmore Memorial Library, East Meadow Public Library, North Merrick Public Library, Wantagh Public Library, Seaford Public Library, Levittown Public Library, North Bellmore Public Library, and Merrick Library.
"As a trusted gathering place for our community, North Bellmore Public Library is committed to safety, compassion, and preparedness for all individuals,” North Bellmore Public Library Director Jessica Tymecki said in a statement. “By partnering with Senator Rhoads to install a naloxone rescue kit in our library, we’re helping ensure that lifesaving Narcan is available in the event of an emergency. While we hope it never needs to be used, we understand the importance of taking proactive steps that could ultimately save a life.”
Each library will be outfitted with between one and four kits, with some requesting more based on the size and layout of each building, a representative from Rhoads’ office told the Herald. The kits were provided at no cost to the libraries.
Narcan is administered in the form of a nasal spray to someone experiencing an opioid overdose, and each kit features a QR code that someone accessing it can scan for a quick debriefing — in English or Spanish — on how to use the spray.
In Suffolk County, Rhoads said, six reported overdoses took place inside libraries in a single year — showing that this is something that actually occurs in public spaces. Data was not immediately available for Nassau County.
Rhoads explained that legislation passed in the State Senate last year to make the addition of Narcan at libraries a statewide initiative. However, it did not pass in the State Assembly. Rhoads wanted to adopt the legislation’s ideas in his own district and give it a tangible, local impact — the first of its kind in libraries in New York.
“Even if one life is saved,” he said, “then this initiative will have been worth everything.”
