ANN ARBOR, Mich. – A vending machine that dispenses free Naloxone kits has been installed in the lobby of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library.
Naloxone, better known by the brand name Narcan, is a Food and Drug Administration-approved medication that can reverse the effects of opioid overdoses in emergency situations.
Recommended Videos
Each kit contains two doses of Naloxone and instructions. Community members can access the machine from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. when the library is open.
The installation was done in coordination with Home of New Vision, a nonprofit offering substance use disorder treatment and recovery support. The organization supplied the free naloxone for the machine, which holds up to 150 kits.
Huge thanks to our partners at @HomeofNewVision for providing and stocking this new Naloxone (Narcan) vending machine in the Lobby of the Downtown Library. Each kit contains instructions and two doses that can save a life from an opioid overdose. Self serve and free to all. pic.twitter.com/KJy6TioYKq
— eli neiburger (@AADLeli) April 1, 2022
Home of New Vision ROOT Coordinator Brianna Dobbs said that 70 kits were taken from the vending machine the weekend following its installation and it had to be restocked immediately.
Although the vending machine was just installed on April 1, Dobbs said the organization has already heard that one of the free naloxone kits has saved a life.
She said the partnership with the library first started when Home of New Vision did a Narcan training for AADL staff. When the vending machine project came up, she approached the library which welcomed the machine.
“Libraries in general are one of the places that anybody can go to. They’re a really good community resource,” Dobbs said.
Part of the Naloxone vending machine’s value is saving lives, but another is normalizing having Narcan available for emergencies.
“It should be part of everybody’s first aid kit. People have opiate overdoses that aren’t even aware they’re using opioids,” Dobbs said. Those people could be college students experimenting at parties or a small child who gets in a bottle of prescription medication.
“Normalizing it [having Naloxone] is really important and raising awareness to it, and reducing the stigma behind carrying it.”
Opiate overdoses have increased in over the past several years but recent overdose clusters in Washtenaw County have officials sounding the alarm.
In March, the Washtenaw County Health Department urged those using drugs recreationally to be wary as opioids were being mixed with synthetic street drugs and Fentanyl leading to more accidental overdoses.
Read: Washtenaw County Health Department issues warning after cluster of opioid overdoses
The Ann Arbor District Library vending machine is one of hopefully many to be installed in Washtenaw County. Dobbs said the organization is trying to install similar machines in areas with high overdose areas. One was recently installed at the Northfield Human Services in Whitmore Lake and there are plans for some to be installed in Ypsilanti and Saline.
Those in need of immediate help from Home of New Vision and its services can contact the Recovery Opioid Overdose Team (ROOT) at 734-879-1101 or root@homeofnewvision.org.
The ROOT team offers support to those who have survived an opiate overdose and their families, stigma reduction, Narcan training and community education.
Learn more about Home of New Vision here.