Operators of a program that distributes opioid overdose-reversing drugs statewide, say a proposed state budget cut could have deadly consequences.
University of Missouri-St. Louis Associate Professor Rachel Winograd says the House budget includes a proposed $8 million cut, which she says would amount to about a 50% reduction in their program funding. She says the result could limit access to the medication as well as first responder training.
“And so, this is the type of programming that would just totally crack, if not fall apart, if we lost over half our funding for this program,” said Winograd.
Winograd says their program distributed 1.3 million doses last year in Missouri to reverse opioid overdoses. She credits the program for a drop in Missouri overdose deaths from more than 2,000 in the year 2022, to 1,450 in 2024.
Winograd says countless lives have been saved by naloxone (known by it’s brand-name Narcan).
“It is as close to a miracle drug as we have on the market,” said Winograd.
The program is funded by legal settlements, but Winograd says there’s some subjectivity in how the funds are spent.
The Missouri Senate’s currently reviewing the House Budget proposal. Lawmakers are looking to cut wherever possible, given the projected $2 billion deficit.
Gov. Mike Kehoe’s budget called for retaining the funding for the naloxone program.