Narcan kits distributed to downtown Austin bars after suspected overdoses

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin police and Austin-Travis County EMS went bar-to-bar along Sixth Street distributing hundreds of Narcan rescue kits following five suspected overdoses in the entertainment district.

The Austin Police Department brought 200 kits to distribute among roughly 50 bars in the downtown area, according to Austin-Travis County EMS. Each kit contains two doses of intranasal Narcan, and officials said bars would receive multiple kits.

"We’re going bar to bar and make sure that everybody has Narcan and knows how to use it," ATCEMS Capt. Christa Stedman said. "We just want to make sure everybody is equipped to handle that if it happens at their establishment."

The distribution came after five adults experienced suspected overdoses in and around Shakespeare’s on East Sixth Street early in the morning on Sept. 16.

EMS concerned about recent increase in overdoses

What they're saying:

ATCEMS officials said Wednesday’s incident is not their only concern.

Commander Randy Chhabra said the agency has seen an increase in overdoses over the past seven days — and some patients have required larger amounts of Narcan to reverse the effects.

"Not only have we had more frequency, but what we’re seeing is we’re needing larger amounts of Narcan to reverse these overdoses," Chhabra said.

Chhabra said that trend has raised concerns about the substances involved, including the possibility of synthetic opioids being mixed with fentanyl or other drugs. Officials have not confirmed what substances caused Wednesday's suspected overdoses.

Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Chhabra demonstrated how to use the nasal spray Thursday night. Officials said if a person does not respond to the first dose, another dose can be administered after waiting three to five minutes.

"It’s really important that we have first responders within our community, like the bar operators and workers, to respond," Chhabra said. "Having these rescue kits is going to help them to do that before we arrive."

Bystanders administered Narcan before first responders

Wednesday’s incident demonstrated why officials want Narcan readily available inside downtown businesses.

Multiple 911 calls began coming in around 2:20 a.m. Wednesday for suspected overdoses in and around Shakespeare’s. Five adult patients were treated, including one person who was in respiratory arrest.

All five received Narcan from bystanders or first responders, and some required multiple doses.

Four were taken to area hospitals in stable condition, while a fifth refused transportation. No deaths were reported.

Officials said some downtown businesses already had Narcan available, allowing people at the scene to begin administering it before first responders arrived.

"We saw that some of the businesses in the area were able to actually administer Narcan before any other first responders got on scene," Stedman said. "Our partners at APD were also instrumental in that early Narcan administration, which I think is why we didn’t see the other night turn into a tragedy."

Bystanders also performed CPR. One man who jumped in to help told FOX 7 he relied on previous CPR training and kept the rhythm of his chest compressions to the beat of the Bee Gees’ "Stayin’ Alive."

Dig deeper:

Officials said Thursday they still cannot confirm whether fentanyl caused Wednesday’s suspected overdoses.

"What we do know is that it was an opioid-like substance that was used," Stedman said.

ATCEMS said responders make that determination based on a patient's symptoms but cannot identify the specific substance in the field.

Police initially described the incident as potentially involving a "bad batch" of drugs.

APD said its investigative units are now following leads to determine where the drugs may have originated and potentially prevent additional overdoses.

Thursday's Narcan distribution is similar to the response used during Austin's overdose surge in spring 2024.

"The idea is to flood the area with as much Narcan as we can, educate people about the signs and symptoms of overdose, how to be safe and how to use Narcan," Stedman said.

Austin police said working with downtown businesses is also part of its effort to keep the entertainment district safe.

"Whatever we can do to support people being safe down here, to include providing Narcan to the business owners and collaborating with them to ensure that we have a safe downtown district, we’re here to support that," APD Sgt. Rose Perez said.