How to use Narcan to treat an overdose in an emergency
Here are step-by-step instructions for using naloxone, a nasal spray commonly known by the brand name Narcan, to treat an overdose in an emergency.
Sady Swanson, Wochit
The clients who make appointments with Sarah Borden at Ride or Dye, a hair salon near Sixth Street, often have a connection to the world of recovery.
Whether through her work as a therapist or her more personal experience with substance abuse, Borden – nine years sober and active in the rehabilitation community – has made her salon a haven for people affected by or still struggling with addiction.
Those clients are one of the reasons she approached the county about applying for a program to provide naloxone, the drug sold under the brand name Narcan that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
The other reason is that she wants to have the life-saving medication available to her clients who have no history of addiction.
“These are the people I like to give Narcan to because they believe they don’t need it, even though their neighbor’s son next door could overdose,” Borden said. “I believe anyone and everyone could save a life.”
Ride or Dye began sending out naloxone boxes earlier this year through a partnership with the Salish Behavioral Health Organization. They are among nearly 12 locations in Kitsap that now offer immediate access to doses of the drug, with more to follow.
As overdoses continue to occur, naloxone has become a cornerstone in the fight against the opioid crisis. Last year, a record 65 people died of overdoses in Kitsap County, according to preliminary data. This marks the fifth year in a row that the death toll has risen.
According to health district data, the number of suspected overdoses fell in the first quarter of 2024 for the first time in years, but remains historically high.
Access to naloxone has improved significantly in recent years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved over-the-counter sales of the drug and made it free for people with Medicaid insurance.
Still, health officials say barriers to obtaining naloxone remain. Lack of insurance or the stigma associated with admitting opioid use to a pharmacist can prevent people from purchasing the drug at their pharmacy. Some pharmacies may not even have it in stock.
There are also concerns about the immediacy of this method. If someone overdoses, especially in public, they need easily accessible naloxone that isn’t tied to business hours or behind a counter. Health officials liken it to emergency defibrillation in public spaces.
State law now requires school districts with 2,000 or more students to have naloxone on hand at every high school. And locally, Salish BHO has set up several dozen newspaper-box containers filled with free naloxone doses in its service area of Kitsap, Clallam and Jefferson counties.
Ride or Dye was not allowed to put a box out in front of the store. Instead, Borden keeps the boxes of Narcan behind her station. She offers them to people who visit her store, posts about them online and distributes them to other business owners.
“I have a lot of friends who are still addicted, and I’ll send them on their way with Narcan,” she said. “I have taxi drivers, Uber drivers and other people who work odd jobs in the community, whether it’s tattoo artists or bartenders, they come in and say, ‘I’d like some Narcan.'”
Unlike other organizations that receive naloxone from Salish people — usually government agencies, community centers or treatment providers — Ride or Dye is a commercial enterprise. There are efforts nationwide to bring Narcan into more private spaces, such as bars, restaurants and music festivals. In Kitsap, Ride or Dye appears to be leading the way.
But being an outsider is nothing new for Borden and her salon. In its more than two years of operation, the shop has regularly bucked traditional business practices and worked to help the community, especially the most vulnerable.
Borden acknowledges that their business is unique, but says they don’t like to talk about it publicly. They rarely advertise their volunteer work, whether it’s offering free haircuts at the Salvation Army and Pendleton Place Apartments or giving homeless people a chance to use the restroom and sit down.
“I think we’re just doing it sincerely,” she said. “This is the first time we’ve talked about it because it’s just what we do.”
Borden’s tendency toward compassion stems in part from her past experiences with substance abuse. She grew up in Bremerton with drug-addicted parents and spent years selling drugs while battling addiction and homelessness, eventually serving a three-year prison sentence.
After her release in 2018, Borden was sober and began working three jobs to make ends meet. She eventually paid for her cosmetology training and got a job in the city.
Although she never wanted to own her own shop, she was pushed into it. The salon she had worked at suddenly closed. Needing to fend for herself, she recruited two of her former colleagues and a month later, putting everything she had into it, she founded Ride or Dye.
“I had $8,500 in my bank account and when we opened, I had $50,” she said. “My hairdresser and I were partners who wanted everything for each other. We wanted to stay together for this vision, for the community and to provide for our family. That’s how Ride or Dye was born.”
Borden said her store and two other businesses that share the parking lot at the corner of Rainier Avenue and Sixth Street – the youth nonprofit God’s Broken Home University and the Island Hut restaurant – have become a gathering place for people in need of assistance since opening.
Borden points out that unlike most hair salons, she regularly lets homeless people or people with addiction issues in, even if they don’t come for a haircut. She always offers them a seat on the brown sofa in the middle of her shop and provides them with food, water and a place to use the restroom.
“We accept everyone. If someone comes in and hasn’t washed their hair in three months or is addicted, I intervene,” she said. “Because I’ve experienced that myself. I’ve been ashamed when someone touched me. When someone touched my hair. I want everyone to feel comfortable.”
