CLARK COUNTY, Ind. — A life-saving drug that can prevent overdoses is being made easily accessible to Indiana residents at no cost to them.
This week, Clark Memorial Health unveiled its first free naloxone vending machine outside of the Emergency Department.
Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a medication approved to reverse an overdose from opioids when a person is showing signs of an overdose.
"There is no single solution to ending this epidemic that has taken the lives of thousands of Hoosiers," Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb said. "We can, however, take thoughtful steps to help our communities. Naloxone vending machines are a practical tool to prevent overdoses and save lives."
The vending machine in Clark County is the first of 19 similar machines that will be placed statewide. Each kit includes a single dose of Naloxone, instructions for use, and a referral to treatment for substance use disorder.
“Family members coming to get some Narcan for some of their family, or a user coming to get Narcan for themselves, hopefully they’ll find something in that Narcan machine that points them to recovery," Aaron Edwards, the hospital's director of behavioral health, said.
The vending machines are purchased by Overdose Lifeline, an Indiana non-profit, using federal grant funds and costs nothing to entities that place them.
Each machine can hold up to 300 Naloxone kits and dispenses kits free of charge.
"Not only are we preventing an overdose," Edwards said. "Maybe we’re initiating that spark that gets somebody into treatment."
According to Indiana health officials and data from the CDC, the state saw a 32% increase in fatal overdoses between April 2020 through April 2021.
Edwards attributes the increase to the widespread rise in fentanyl in Indiana communities, especially during the pandemic.
"Fentanyl plays a big part. It's very powerful," Edwards said. "People who may not have used for a while and relapsed during the pandemic may not realize what they’re getting into.”
“Every life lost to a drug overdose is one too many," Dr. Eric Yazel, health officer for the Clark County Health Department, said. "Naloxone offers the opportunity to get individuals with substance use disorder on the path to long-term recovery.”
Edwards hopes the Narcan vending machine will also help reduce stigma around substance use disorder. He said harm reduction tactics like Narcan are key in getting people the help they need.
“It doesn’t encourage opioid use," he said. "It just decreases the harm from use that is going to occur whether that machine is there or not.”
The machine at Clark Memorial is located outside of the Emergency Department, for easy access.
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