Published on Nov 19, 2025
Ambulance

The Johnson County Ambulance Service (JCAS) announces the launch of its Narcan® Leave Behind Program, a pilot initiative designed to increase community access to intranasal naloxone (Narcan), a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses.

Members of the public can visit JCAS, 808 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City, during regular business hours, or the GuideLink Center, 300 Southgate Ave, Iowa City, to receive:

  • A free two-dose intranasal Narcan kit
  • A brief in-service training on recognizing and responding to an opioid overdose
  • Printed addiction treatment and recovery resource information

This program is completely anonymous, and no identification, demographic or personal information is collected.

“This program reflects JCAS’s commitment to providing proactive, hands-on solutions to save lives,” said Paramedic Field Operations Supervisor Andreas Wilz. “By increasing accessibility to Narcan, we’re empowering community members to act quickly in an emergency and help prevent avoidable tragedies.”

JCAS was selected as one of two EMS agencies in Iowa to pilot this program through a partnership and grant-funding coalition with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Emergency Medical and Trauma Services. 

JCAS plans to expand the initiative to include the distribution of Narcan kits during ambulance calls. Under this next phase, EMTs and paramedics will be able to leave behind a free Narcan kit with any member of the public when on scene for an emergency, including a patient, their family or friends, or anyone on scene who could assist in a future overdose.

The Narcan Leave Behind Program builds on Johnson County’s harm-reduction and public-safety efforts, including the Public Health Harm Reduction Vending Machine Program, which was approved by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors earlier this year. Together, these programs align with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services’ statewide strategy to expand opioid-response readiness and reduce overdose fatalities and complement the county’s other lifesaving preparedness programs, such as the installation of public Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), community CPR training and Stop the Bleed kit distribution. JCAS also reminds the public that quick bystander action saves lives; learning hands-only CPR and downloading the PulsePoint app are simple steps anyone can take to help during a cardiac emergency. 

“This is another example of how collaboration between EMS, public health, and our community partners makes Johnson County a safer, more prepared place to live,” said Wilz. “Every Narcan kit distributed represents another potential life saved.”

Anyone interested in receiving a kit, requesting delivery, or scheduling Narcan and opioid-overdose response training can contact JCAS at [email protected] or 319-356-6013.

For additional information about Narcan and its use, visit www.Narcan.com/en.

To learn more about Johnson County’s opioid prevention, treatment and recovery efforts, visit https://johnson-county-opioid-response-johnsoncounty.hub.arcgis.com/.