The City of Warrensburg has partnered with the University of Central Missouri (UCM) to provide potentially lifesaving medication throughout the campus community. Naloxone, commonly referred to as Narcan, is a life-saving medication that can be administered to a person experiencing a drug overdose. The City of Warrensburg began receiving funding in 2022 following a national settlement with opioid manufacturers and distributors. Settlement funding received by the city may only be used for specific programs defined in the final settlement to prevent and reduce the impact of opioid addiction and overdoses.
While UCM and the surrounding area have not witnessed the widespread impacts of opioid use that many other communities have experienced, opioid addiction continues to impact many lives. CDC data shows that Missouri experienced 2098 overdose deaths from September 2022 to September 2023, nearly double the number of deaths reported in 2015. Overdose injuries and deaths have become more common as those suffering from addiction seek more powerful doses of medications or illegal alternatives that in many cases contain lethal amounts of narcotics. To combat overdose deaths, naloxone has been deployed throughout communities to provide immediate help for overdose victims. This partnership allows the City of Warrensburg to provide naloxone at no cost to UCM to distribute throughout campus facilities for use during an emergency while emergency personnel respond to provide aid. Additional information about the national opioid settlement can be found at moopioidsettlements.dmh.mo.gov/Settlement.
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