By Jeffrey Snodgrass and Mark Lee

As opioid addictions and overdoses run rampant in the U.S., hotel and restaurant staffs are discovering that a supply of Narcan can be helpful to combat overdoses that occur on their property.

Given that hotels and restaurants offer private spaces, like guest rooms and washrooms, that appeal to users, including Narcan in hospitality industry first-aid kits is quickly becoming a common practice. The industry also has felt the effects of the opioid crisis first hand, with nearly one in five employees admitting to illicit drug use.

Narcan is the naloxone nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Keeping a supply of Narcan on hand has the potential to save lives. It’s available and relatively inexpensive; many states combatting the opioid crisis sponsor campaigns giving away thousands of free doses.

Consider two sobering scenarios. In the city of Green, Ohio, all hotels in the I-77 corridor are now equipped with Narcan because of the large number of overdoses that have occurred there. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, there is a restaurateur who stocked naloxone shots and trained managers on administering them after several servers never returned to work after finishing their shifts. Unfortunately these servers had overdosed in the interim .

Narcan should be kept under lock and key, with access limited to designated employees who have been trained to recognize overdoses and administer the cure. Using it, though, is fairly easy: children as young as 6 are learning to “open, insert, squirt” in some of the hardest-hit communities . The spray restores breathing and reverses the sedation and unconsciousness that occur with an opioid overdose.

In fact, the antidote is difficult to misuse. Allergic reactions are rare and any side effects do not outweigh its benefits. Those that do occur may be related to opioid withdrawal, like body aches, increased heart rate, irritability, agitation, convulsions, vomiting and diarrhea .

Before moving forward and stocking your restaurant or hotel with Narcan, consider the following provisos:

  • Do not neglect your drug prevention policy: Your use of Narcan does not substitute for a comprehensive drug prevention policy. If drug abuse is an issue among your employees, education and an Employee Assistance Program are smart moves.
  • Make sure you’re protected as a good Samaritan: Another concern is the potential liability of administering Narcan. Good Samaritan laws provide protection when you and your people act in the injured party’s best interests; however, check with your legal counsel to make sure they apply in your location.
  • Evaluate the risk: A risk assessment is important to ascertain if your hotel or restaurant is at risk of opioid overdoses, as a function of location, employee or guest profiles. While addictions occur everywhere, economically depressed regions have the most vulnerable populations as people respond to hardship, isolation and hopelessness.
  • Keep a record: It’s not just a safeguard against liability but a good management practice to document your formal procedures for training and tracking incidents, as well as protecting the privacy of affected individuals.

Since 1999, more than 702,000 people have died from drug overdoses, 68% of them involving opioids. Twenty years later, the epidemic is far from over. But with Narcan, the industry has another tool to use against it.

HUB International’s team of brokers is available to help your hospitality organization understand and manage its risk and insurance concerns.