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Harm Reduction Services

NKY Health provides judgment-free help and the necessary resources to Northern Kentuckians so they have everything they need to stay safe, reduce their chances of harm, and get the help they need when they want it.

Naloxone & Overdose Education

Naloxone (or its brand name Narcan) is a medicine that has been proven to rapidly reverse opioid overdoses. Administered as a nasal spray or injection, naloxone attaches itself to the receptors in the brain that opioids are attracted to, reversing or blocking the effects of the opioids.

Training

NKY Health’s Harm Reduction Educators provide 15-minute training sessions on administering naloxone to any individual or organization interested.  GET TRAINING

Naloxboxes

NKY Health provides wall-mounted boxes containing naloxone and other supplies to schools and businesses around the region. Usually next to AED and fire extinguishers, these naloxboxes provide easy access to lifesaving equipment in an emergency.  CONTACT US

Mailed Naloxone

NKY Health mails free naloxone kits to anyone with a mailing address in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.  ORDER YOURS

Overdose Dashboard

NKY Health maintains an Overdose Dashboard that chronicles the number of overdoses in each of the four counties in its region. When more than three overdoses occur within 24 hours in a particular county, an alert is issued.  VIEW DASHBOARD

THE IMPACT OF NALOXONE

When administered after an overdose, naloxone can counteract the life-threatening effects of opioid drugs and keep individuals who have overdosed alive until emergency medical help arrives. Watch the testamonials from four people whose lives were saved by naloxone.

Syringe Access Exchange Program

We realize some people are going to inject drugs no matter what our thoughts or efforts might be. So we offer syringe exchange sites in all four counties that allow people to trade in their used, dirty syringes for clean ones. Doing so reduces the threat of infectious diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C spread through dirty equipment — both to the user and others who may come in contact with the equipment, such as first responders — and allows us to connect with people who use drugs and offer them treatment resources and other health services. Additionally, we provide safe disposal of contaminated equipment, naloxone overdose reversal kits, referrals to addiction treatment, and HIV and Hepatitis C testing, syphilis testing, pregnancy test kits, and harm reduction supplies at each site.

Community Events

We realize not everyone can get to our locations on the times and dates we’re there, so we utilize our mobile unit to hold regular outreach events every month at a variety of locations throughout the region, as well as at one-time community events throughout the year.  FIND AN UPCOMING EVENT 

CAMPBELL COUNTY

Tuesdays, 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

We operate our Campbell County program out of our mobile unit, which is parked on Highrise Drive, near the intersection of Churchill Drive and Grand Avenue in Newport.  DIRECTIONS

GRANT COUNTY

wednesdays, 9:30am-11:30am and 1:00Pm-4:00pm

Located inside the Grant County Health Center, 234 Barnes Road, Williamstown, KY 41097  DIRECTIONS

KENTON COUNTY

thursdays, 1:00pm-4:00pm

Located inside the Kenton County Health Center, 1415 James Simpson Jr. Way, Covington, KY 41011  DIRECTIONS

Wellness Kiosks

Life can be unpredictable, meaning you never know when you’ll be faced with an urgent need to take care of yourself. It might be midmorning, midnight, or any hour in between. It might be a cut, an upset stomach, or an overwhelming anxiety. It doesn’t matter. What matters is you get the help you need, when you need it. That’s why we have installed wellness kiosks at various sites around the region, and why all of the items in the kiosks (naloxone, pregnancy test kits, Covid tests, and more) are free. Just push a button.

Drug Test  Strips

NKY Health provides the public free fentanyl and xylazine test strips, which can detect the presence of the synthetic opioids fentanyl or xylazine in drugs, providing users with the knowledge of what’s in their drug supply and reducing the risk of overdose.

Drug Disposal

What to do with unused or unwanted prescription medicines and syringes is a common question. Unwanted prescription drugs can be safely disposed utilizing one of two methods:

  • Medication dropboxes, which are found at police stations or other public buildings. To find a disposal site near you, visit the Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy website or the Department of Justice website.
  • Drug disposal pouches, which deactivates medication and allows the pouch to be disposed of safely through regular waste disposal methods.

NKY Health can provide free sharps containers for unwanted or used syringes. Or, the fact sheet below (see  button below right) offers home disposal methods.

HIV, HepB, and HepC Testing

Use of intravenous drugs significantly increases the risk of contracting bloodborne infections, including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. NKY Health provides free preventative resources, including clean syrings, male and female condoms, and PrEP for those with a higher risk of contracting HIV.

NKY Health also offers free, anonymous, and confidential testing for the infectious diseases, and referrals for those who need treatment. For those who test positive for HIV, we offer a wide range of referral and assistance help, including case management services that provide support, stabilization, and referrals to community resources.

Contact the NKY Health
Harm Reduction Team

859-341-4264
harmreduction@nkyhealth.org