Smitten Kitten in Minneapolis saves woman from overdose with Narcan

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Smitten Kitten, an adult gift shop on Lake Street in the LynLake neighborhood of Minneapolis, is being praised for saving a woman’s life outside their doors this week.

Smitten Kitten stops woman’s overdose

What we know:

On March 13, Smitten Kitten demonstrated quick thinking as they administered Narcan to a woman experiencing an overdose in her car outside their doors.

At the time it occurred, staff members administered seven doses of Narcan during a suspected opioid overdose, reviving and stabilizing the woman until paramedics arrived.

Trained in harm reduction, owner Jennifer "JP" Pritchett says that the store keeps Narcan on hand – an act that demonstrates "they’re more than just a store" in the community where they have been in business for two decades.

What they're saying:

"One of my staff members noticed someone pass out in their car by themselves right outside the store. We went out and knocked on her windows, but she wasn't alert, and I could see that her chest wasn't moving," Pritchett told FOX 9. "We suspected she was having some kind of overdose. We checked her pulse and there was nothing. I hollered to my staff to get our [Narcan] supply, and we started administering it like we have been trained to do by Southside Harm Reduction [Services]. We administered both the nasal spray and an injection. That plus some sternum rubs revived her successfully… I couldn't stop thinking about her, and her family. The first thing that she mentioned once she was revived was her child."

Pritchett is quick to note the fast-thinking and empathetic actions of her staff as a catalyst to the situation's success.

What's next:

Pritchett says that Smitten Kitten will continue to be "a safe, inclusive space and a testament to how businesses can make a real difference."