The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the General Services Administration, which oversees federal real estate, are calling for all federal buildings to include the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone onsite, alongside automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

It’s the first change to federal building safety guidance in nearly 15 years. The 2009 guidance called for AEDs onsite to treat people having heart attacks.  

Under the new guidance, AEDs would be converted into “safety stations” that contain either an opioid reversal agent like Narcan or hemorrhagic control component like Stop the Bleed, or both. 

Naloxone can help reduce opioid overdose deaths and when administered timely, usually within minutes of the first signs of an opioid overdose, can counter the overdose effects. 

“Far too many lives are being lost to overdose. Fortunately, we know what it takes to save people. Safety stations save lives,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “We must continue to do everything we can to make sure the necessary tools are quickly and easily available so anyone can respond to an emergency situation – anytime, anywhere. It’s about empowering everyone to play a role in saving lives when it counts the most.” 

Naloxone nasal spray is now available over-the-counter, making it more readily accessible to the general public. 

There were nearly 107,000 reported fatal overdoses in 2021 primarily driven by synthetic opioids like illicit fentanyl.