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State officials warn naloxone demand may outpace current funding; urge counties to plan purchases
Summary
HHS officials said naloxone demand has grown and federal SOR funding is tightening, noting distribution rose from 30,000 kits in 2024 to 48,000 in 2025 and costing more than $1.4 million; they urged counties to consider direct purchases or county fund use and flagged a possible $1 million proposal to the opioid antagonist fund.
State HHS and Attorney General's office officials told counties on the ISAC webinar that naloxone — the opioid overdose reversal medication — remains a top priority but that funding pressures mean counties should plan alternate procurement.
"Naloxone is the overdose reversal medicine, and it's available throughout the state," Monica Wilkie Brown, opioid response grant project director at HHS, said. She added that state SOR funds have been used to purchase naloxone but that demand has grown substantially.
Kevin Gabbard and Bill Pearson provided data on recent distributions: HHS supported distribution of about 30,000 naloxone kits in 2024 and "in 2025, that number jumped up to 48,000 naloxone kits," and HHS "spent over $1,400,000 on naloxone," the presenters said. They warned that the SOR grant budget is tighter after that scale-up and that HHS may need to limit free distributions if alternative funding is not found.
Panelists said counties can buy naloxone directly through programs such as Narcan Direct at competitive prices and suggested counties consider using opioid settlement funds to supplement SOR shortfalls. The agencies also recommended considering a legislative change or a transfer into the state's opioid antagonist fund: HHS proposed allowing up to $1,000,000 to be deposited into that fund to support broader naloxone availability, though officials said that change would require legislation and they have not yet heard if the proposal will be taken up this session.
"Right now, we're not making any changes," Kevin Gabbard said, "but it's something we're going to have to take a look at as we go forward." Officials encouraged counties to coordinate procurement and consider bulk purchasing to stretch limited resources.
The presenters said they would provide information on purchasing options and are available for follow-up questions.
