Health Wagon Leaders Call for Narcan on All Commercial Flights

Health Wagon Leaders Call for Narcan on All Commercial Flights

WISE, Va. — Dr. Teresa Tyson, President and CEO of The Health Wagon, and Dr. Paula Hill-Collins, Vice President and Clinical Director, are urging the public to support requiring Narcan (naloxone) in emergency medical kits on all commercial passenger flights.

The effort follows a life-threatening in-flight medical emergency Dr. Tyson responded to last fall. A passenger became unresponsive with no respirations or pulse. Dr. Tyson and three nurses provided emergency care using the medical resources available onboard and were able to help restore the passenger’s pulse and respirations. The patient survived.

Although the emergency was not determined to be a drug overdose, the experience highlighted a gap in onboard emergency preparedness: Narcan was not available if an opioid overdose had been suspected.

“In that moment, at 35,000 feet, every second mattered,” Dr. Tyson said. “While this situation was not determined to be an overdose, it made one thing very clear: if Narcan had been needed, it was not available.”

Narcan is an easy-to-administer medication used to reverse opioid overdoses and is widely carried by first responders, law enforcement, schools and other community organizations. However, it is not universally required on commercial passenger aircraft.

The Federal Aviation Administration is currently accepting public comments on proposed changes to emergency medical kit requirements for commercial airlines. The Health Wagon is asking the public to urge the FAA to require intranasal Narcan on all commercial passenger aircraft.

Public comments may be submitted through October 5, 2026, at Regulations.gov by searching Docket No. FAA-2026-9178.

“Flight attendants and medical volunteers who respond onboard should not be placed in the impossible position of trying to save a life without a medication that could reverse an opioid overdose,” Dr. Tyson said. “Narcan is simple. It is safe. It is lifesaving. It should be on every plane.”

Photo Caption: Dr. Teresa Owens Tyson, DNP, MSN, FNP-BC, FAANP, President and CEO of The Health Wagon (right), and Dr. Paula Hill-Collins, DNP, FAANP, are calling on the public to support placing Narcan in emergency medical kits on all commercial flights.