To reduce the death toll of the opioid epidemic, California Assemblymember Liz Ortega wants health insurers to cover the costs of Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse an overdose.
Source: Cal Matters
The ubiquity of the synthetic painkiller fentanyl has supercharged the opioid crisis to the point that California schools are now making overdose treatments readily available, turning teachers and even children into emergency responders.
More than 11,000 Californians reportedly died from a drug overdose over a one-year span ending in February, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.