Local News
Narcan to be provided to all UW schools, though UW-L has done so for years
La Crosse is already ahead of the curve in efforts to avoid drug overdoses on college campuses.
The Wisconsin justice department made a deal with a drug company to provide opioid antidote Narcan to all of the University of Wisconsin schools. More than 600 people in Wisconsin died from opioid overdoses in 2015.
Nearly two years ago, freshman Connor Glynn passed out in his dorm room at the UW-La Crosse. Glynn later died from an apparent accidental drug overdose.
It was around that time, UW-L police began keeping supplies of the drug antidote Narcan in its squad cars.
“Epipen pens for allergic reactions and narcan were issued at the same time,” UW-L police chief Scott McCullough said. “It was just an initiative we had been looking at for awhile.”
Since that practice started, no overdoses have been reported on campus, according to UW-L police chief Scott McCullough.
UW System president Ray Cross said Narcan works so well, “Why wouldn’t we do this?”
