AROUND THE OZARKS (KY3) - Missouri has experienced a 26% decrease in overdose deaths statewide, with Greene County reporting a similar decline of more than 20%, according to local health officials.

Julie Viele with the Greene County Health Department said the dramatic improvement comes as free Narcan distribution has increased across Missouri in the past year, allowing people who overdose to be revived and receive medical care.

“The Missouri Institute of Mental Health also shared their naloxone distribution report. Statewide, we reached an overall high of distributing naloxone,” Viele said. “It reached all 115 counties and they distributed over 600,000.”

The AIDs Project of the Ozarks, a local organization providing overdose prevention resources, emphasizes that overdose deaths don’t on

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