Man claims Walgreens failed to provide Narcan to overdose patient because ‘it’s too expensive’

REVERE, Mass. — A man is outraged at a local Walgreens that he says failed to provide him Narcan to help someone who had been overdosing because of the high cost of the life-saving drug.

Jimmy Kane runs a drug rehabilitation facility in Florida called Legacy Healing Center and has been 10 years clean himself.

On Wednesday night, Kane had been helping a 32-year-old man who has addiction issues get a few items together before flying down to the facility. Together, they went to the Walgreens on Broadway Avenue in Revere just before 8:30 p.m.

“He wanted to get some medication for his face because he was pretty beat up,” said Kane. “He was smoking meth for a couple of days.”

Kane waited in the car while the man went inside the store. After 15 minutes, worried he had been taking too long, Kane went inside to find four employees surrounding the bathroom.

“I pushed by them and opened the door and he was curled up in a ball, blue, dead,” said Kane. “I rolled him on his back, and started CPR.”

While attempting to save the man’s life, Kane told the team leader on duty and the three other employees to get him some Narcan, only to be told no because it cost too much.

“One of the guys said to me after I asked him again to get me Narcan, he said, ‘We can’t do that, Narcan costs money,’” said Kane. [Then] it hit me, that’s someone’s loved one on the floor, dead."

In a rush to revive the man, Kane told the employee to get him the Narcan and he’d pay for it, but they didn’t get it for him. Once he managed to get a pulse back on the man, Kane ran back to his car and grabbed his own Narcan doses.

The man’s life was saved on the bathroom floor of the drugstore thanks to Kane and his quick thinking and life-saving skills.

“I’m not in the best of shape, but I had to do what I had to do,” said Kane. “No matter what the cost of the Narcan is, I asked for it, they saw that kid on the floor, [looking] blue. They are a disgrace. That’s a human life on the floor.”

In response to the incident, a spokesperson for Walgreens told Boston 25 News:

“At this time we are aware that our store contacted 911 twice for an apparent overdose situation and will gather information to help ensure any store employees who may have been aware of the situation were taking appropriate steps to assist.”

Kane says he’s disgusted and outraged at the situation, saying that should have never happened. His family had been trying to help this man for a while now, he says.

The man, who is alive and doing ok, is already down in Florida at the facility getting the treatment he needs.

Walgreens pharmacy worker accused of refusing to give Narcan to man who was overdosing There are claims a Walgreens pharmacy worker refused to give Narcan to a man who was overdosing.

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