A physician-led initiative to equip Civil Air Patrol cadets and Michigan communities with life-saving Narcan access and overdose response training.
FARE is a public health initiative to close the gap between Narcan availability and Narcan access — starting with Civil Air Patrol cadets in Michigan. Michigan's standing order means anyone, including youth, can legally access naloxone without a prescription. But legal access alone doesn't save lives. Knowledge, readiness, and physical kits do.
FARE proposes that Civil Air Patrol — already committed to cadet development, emergency services, and community service — is uniquely positioned to lead this effort as a replicable model for schools and youth organizations statewide.
Progress is being made: Michigan's overdose death rate declined nearly five times faster than the national average between 2021 and 2023, thanks in part to expanded naloxone distribution. FARE builds on that momentum by bringing overdose readiness directly into CAP.
Fentanyl is 50–100× more potent than morphine. A dose the size of a few grains of salt can be lethal. It now contaminates the illicit drug supply broadly — meaning even people who don't use opioids regularly are at risk.
Overdose is not a character failing. It is a medical emergency. And like cardiac arrest, it is survivable with immediate, trained intervention. Naloxone (Narcan) is the antidote — safe, effective, and now legally available to all Michiganders.
The barrier is no longer legal access in Michigan. The barrier is awareness, readiness, and physical kits in the right hands at the right moment. Nearly 42% of Michigan overdose deaths in 2023 had at least one potential opportunity for bystander intervention.
2,998 Michigan residents died of overdose in 2022 — more deaths than from car crashes or firearms combined. Opioids were involved in 80% of these deaths.
Michigan is fighting back. Over 1 million Narcan kits distributed since 2020, resulting in at least 21,642 confirmed overdose reversals statewide.
Bystander intervention works. Most overdose deaths occur in the presence of others. A trained witness with Narcan changes outcomes — and CAP cadets can be that witness.
Michigan's standing order removes prescription barriers for naloxone for all residents. FARE pairs that access with practical training and physical kits inside CAP.
Add Narcan nasal spray kits to standard CAP first aid equipment — standardized placement, maintained and ready. The same way CAP carries AEDs, it can carry Narcan.
Structured, age-appropriate curriculum on fentanyl awareness, overdose recognition, emergency response, and hands-on Narcan administration — aligned with CAP's aerospace and emergency services mission.
Cadets as community advocates — sharing overdose response knowledge with families, peers, and neighbors. Reducing stigma and expanding Michigan's culture of readiness one squadron at a time.
Michigan's standing order removes the prescription requirement for naloxone — all residents, including youth, may obtain Narcan at participating pharmacies. FARE bridges the remaining gap by combining that legal access with practical training, physical kits, and a trusted organizational home inside Civil Air Patrol.
Launch within Michigan Wing squadrons. Narcan kits in first aid equipment, physician-led cadet curriculum, training protocols established and documented.
With documented outcomes, propose national CAP adoption — leveraging existing cadet infrastructure across wings in high-burden states.
Adapt the curriculum and kit protocol for K–12 schools statewide, using the CAP pilot as proof of concept and a ready-to-replicate framework.
Whether you are a CAP leader, squadron commander, school administrator, public health official, or community ally — FARE is actively seeking partners to bring this program to life. Reach out to learn more, support the pilot, or schedule a briefing.
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