A community push against fentanyl overdoses on Hawaiʻi Island is expanding access to the overdose-reversal spray Narcan, a hopeful sign for families touched by addiction.

• The Big Island Substance Abuse Council and the Hawaiʻi Fentanyl Task Force now cover everything from prevention to detox, treatment, and aftercare.
• A new county law puts Narcan in busy public places, following a similar push on Oʻahu.
• Free doses are handed out at grocery store pop-ups, YMCA sites, and vending machines, with newspaper-style boxes planned for rural areas like Kaʻū.
• Overdoses are not just a party-scene problem — older people who take too much of their prescribed painkillers have been revived by family members.
• A documentary called "Tidal Wave" tells the personal stories behind the epidemic and airs Sunday at 3 p.m. with a Monday repeat.

Outlook: Expect the Narcan rollout to keep widening into rural and everyday public spaces as organizers work to strip away the stigma around addiction.