First responders in Minnesota’s capital city will have increased access to a tool to fight opioid addiction.
St. Paul interim Fire Chief Greg Duren announced Thursday, Jan. 29, that his department has expanded access to Suboxone, a drug that blocks withdrawal symptoms and cravings for people using opioids. Smith said ambulances with advanced-life support equipment across the city will carry the drug, which helps to stabilize patients revived from an overdose with Narcan.
“This is about meeting patients where they are and starting care sooner — not later,” Duren said in a statement. “When our medics can begin treatment in the field, we reduce suffering, improve outcomes, and save lives.”
Emergency responders in St. Paul tested Suboxone when treating some opioid overdoses in 2024. Officials said that Suboxone’s success encouraged officials to expand its availability across the city.
St. Paul saw more than 1,500 overdose calls in 2025.
First responders across the Twin Cities have turned to Suboxone in recent years. Narcan saves many people from opioid overdose, but some patients experience withdrawal symptoms that feel worse than broken bones or heart attacks. Those symptoms can drive patients to use again.
“It’s not a Band-Aid that only works in the immediate. It’s truly the treatment for their addiction; it’s the solution for their addiction,” Dr. Aaron Burnett, EMS director for the St. Paul Fire Department, said in an April 2025 interview. “Addiction is a biochemical process in your brain and Suboxone is the treatment for that as it relates to opiates.”
