Free naloxone will be distributed next week at the Butler County State Health Center in Butler.

The Dec. 13 giveaway is part of a statewide initiative by Gov. Tom Wolf to make the opioid reversal drug, commonly known as Narcan, more readily available to those in need.

“The life-saving medication naloxone is essential for all of us to have on hand, particularly if you have a loved one suffering from opioid-use disorder,” Wolf said Thursday in a news release. “We want to ensure that through this opportunity for free naloxone, we can save more lives and get more Pennsylvanians into treatment. Keeping naloxone in your home, work or even in your car can make the difference between someone getting into treatment or dying from this disease.”

In all, nearly 80 locations across Pennsylvania, primarily at state health centers and county/municipal health departments, will distribute the drug from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Butler County State Health Center is located at 100 Brugh Ave. A telephone call to the center Thursday was not returned.

State Department of Health spokesman Nate Wardle said each person during the giveaway event will receive one kit, which contains two doses.

This is an excerpt — read the full article in Friday's Butler Eagle.