Cool Kids Carry Narcan is a rural overdose prevention initiative led by Berkshire Harm Reduction, a program of Berkshire Health Systems in western Massachusetts. Designed to address geographic and racial inequities in naloxone access, the project currently installs and maintains 124 public NaloxBoxes while pairing distribution with community training and stigma-reduction campaigns.

Through partnerships with law enforcement, housing authorities, libraries, and local residents, naloxone has become both accessible and visible—reshaping perceptions around harm reduction in a county with the state’s highest overdose fatality rate.

Preliminary data show a 13% reduction in overall overdose deaths and an 83% decline in BIPOC fatalities, marking measurable progress toward equity. By combining healthcare infrastructure with grassroots collaboration, Cool Kids Carry Narcan demonstrates how rural communities can turn harm reduction into a visible, shared practice of care.