Minneapolis small business saves woman from overdose death with Narcan
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On one of the first warm days in Minneapolis this year, the doors were propped open in most businesses near the intersection of Lake Street and Lyndale Avenue. That’s why employees at the store Smitten Kitten were able to notice a woman slumped over in her parked car outside the shop.
A staff member went to the owner, Jennifer “JP” Pritchett. They knocked on the window and yelled but the woman didn’t respond. Pritchett opened the driver’s unlocked door and saw the woman was not breathing.
Thinking the woman seemed to be overdosing, Pritchett leaped into action and yelled back in the store for employees to grab their stash of Narcan, a brand name of naloxone, the drug that reverses an opioid overdose. Narcan was approved for over-the-counter use in 2023.
Anne Lehman, who does social media for the sex-toy shop, started gathering more doses from local businesses.
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“I went to our neighbors, some people came to us and asked if we needed more, other people asked us what it was. They were all spread out on the hood of this person’s car in peak rush hour traffic on Lake Street,” they said.
The scene happened quickly as the group waited for an ambulance to respond. Pritchett administered Narcan to the woman, and when she stayed unresponsive a few minutes after one dose Pritchett tried again, then waited and tried again.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says giving someone naloxone won’t hurt them even if they actually aren’t overdosing, and in those who are overdosing it can take 2-3 minutes to take effect. Typically, naloxone can work within a few doses depending on the severity of the overdose.
After receiving seven doses of naloxone via nasal spray and injection, Pritchett said the woman vomited, came to and started talking.
It took about 20 minutes for first responders to get there and when they did, they told the staff they did the right thing — saying if they would have waited, the woman would have died. The woman left in the ambulance.
“As quickly as it began, it was over, and they were gone. And we were just left standing there and we were like, ‘We need to debrief this,’” Pritchett said.
The Minneapolis Fire Department later confirmed to MPR News that they had responded to the report of an overdose.
Pritchett is grateful that staff were prepared for the incident. Employees had taken a training with Southside Harm Reduction Services and had Narcan stocked. Pritchett and Lehman said Smitten Kitten’s values as a business are being informed about safe sex practices and being there for their community, so it was natural for the group to seek out training to learn how to use Narcan.
“EMS thanked us for responding, and said they were surprised we had so many doses available, and it’s just because we care about our neighborhood and our neighbors and wanted to be prepared for something like this to happen. I’m glad that we were, I’m very grateful,” Pritchett said.
Lehman agreed. During the uprising after the murder of George Floyd and the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, they did mutual aid work. They said emergency situations are scary, but to have the knowledge of how to handle it is key, and empowering.
“This is an issue that affects people across class, gender, race — it’s just important to have those skills for when [first responders] can’t show up on time or you’re in a situation where you don’t want to call the police,” Lehman said. “It’s a really powerful tool to be able to like, just do that.”
Data from the Minnesota State Health Department shows 84 Minnesotans died in January from suspected overdoses. In Hennepin County in 2023, more than 10,000 emergency room or hospital visits involved opioids, and 373 people died from opioid-related overdoses.
Fentanyl is involved in over 95 percent of opioid-related deaths in Hennepin County. Fentanyl test strips, which are legal to carry and possess in Minnesota, are key in helping prevent overdoses, according to the state health department.
Pritchett said they replenished the store’s naloxone supply but hopes to get more, distribute it to the community, and facilitate trainings with nearby businesses about how to administer naloxone.
After the ambulance left, the shop closed early for the day. Pritchett and Lehman said they needed time to decompress.
“It could have been a way different outcome,” Pritchett said. “If it weren’t like they happened to look out the door that she happened to be parked right in front of the most visible part of our store … at every point we were so lucky. I saw her humanity in a way where I was like, that could have been me, that could have been somebody I loved.”
Currently, Hennepin County is accepting proposals for two-year contracts for community-based organizations that are working to prevent, respond and help with the treatment and recovery of opioid use disorder. Proposals must emphasize helping the most impacted communities, including Black and Native Minnesotans. Proposals are due May 7.
How to get Narcan in Minnesota
Narcan can be purchased over the counter at local pharmacies or places like Target, CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. It usually costs $45 for two doses. You can also request a prescription from your health care provider or find it for free through community providers like Southside Harm Reduction Services, Harm Reduction Sisters and the Aliveness Project.
Minnesotans can also use the website Know The Dangers, created by the Minnesota Department of Services. Users have to enter their address, and it will provide the closest access point to Narcan.