LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — An effort to save lives hit the streets of Las Vegas over the weekend. Narcan at Night is one of the largest overdose prevention events in the country, and it’s all about giving the community the tools to respond in an emergency.
On Saturday, volunteers spread out across the Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, and nearby neighborhoods to hand out free Narcan kits and show people how to use them.
“Nevada was one of two states where overdose fatalities did not go down last year. so it’s more important now than ever to get Narcan out into the community,” said Ronald Schnese, care coordinator for the LGBTQ Center for Southern Nevada.
The goal is simple equip as many people as possible with overdose reversal medication and teach them how to recognize the signs of an overdose. Schnese said this effort is about more than prevention, it’s about community.
“The general public should definitely have Narcan on them same as CPR training, AED’s and restaurants. Grandma might forget she took a dose and take another, a child might find a parent’s pain medication they got through a prescription, a lot of reasons why anyone should carry them,” Schnese said.
For volunteers like Tiffany Hines, who is in recovery herself, handing out Narcan is personal.
“I got sober about four years ago and Narcan wasn’t prevalent, so there’s a lot of people that die from overdoses. I’ve lost a lot of friends since then,” Hines said.
On Fremont Street, Donna Hefner shared that same mission using her own story of recovery to connect with people who might one day need this lifesaving medication.
“I was Narcaned over eight years ago. Narcan saved my life, so seven and a half years of long-term recovery right now, so I want to be able to save somebody else’s life,” said Hefner.
At Saturday’s event, there was a total of 550 volunteers compared to last year’s event, which had 141 volunteers.
By this time next year Narcan At Night will be its own non-profit.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.