Indiana’s first-ever Narcan vending machines has been installed in the St. Joseph County Jail's lobby.
It dispenses free, life-saving kits to prevent opioid overdose deaths.
This comes as the state's overdose deaths have increased 32% from April 2020 to April 2021.
Sheriff William Redman said having this will provide people in Michiana, and recently-released inmates, with a medication that could save their life.
"It will give the residents of St. Joseph County another option to be able to come in here, no questions asked, to receive a dose of Narcan for someone just in case there were to be an overdose," Sheriff Redman said.
Justin Phillips, Executive director of Overdose Lifeline, Inc., said incarceration has come out as a life-threatening risk factor for overdose.
The concept of a vending machine for Narcan started with the Overdose Lifeline after the organization’s executive director, Justin Phillips, lost her son in a heroin overdose in 2014. The organization has partnered with the governor’s office and is in the process of setting up 19 similar vending machines across the state. The total cost of the grant is $72,600.
"We know that this population is 130 times more likely to experience an overdose death within two weeks of their release compared to someone without justice system involvement," Phillips said. "So this is a huge deal and going to impact a huge population."
There will be 19 total of these vending machines placed across the state in areas with the greatest need.
Douglas Huntsinger with Indiana Drug Prevention, Treatment and Enforcement said it's paid for by federal grant money.
"This is really a way to get into areas where there's a lot more traffic, a lot more need for volume and where it would be taxing sometimes if you were trying to staff this."
Oaklawn Adult Services Vice President, John Horsley, said high distribution of Narcan correlates with fewer overdoses.
He said that's why having plenty of this life-saving medication in the community is important: because they can't treat death, but they can treat substance abuse.
"I can’t tell you the number of people we’ve seen saved with this medication and later decided to get into the process of recovery and do well."
Horsley warns it might take more than one dose if the opioid is mixed with stronger substances, like fentanyl.
For one recent patient, it took more than six doses of Narcan to reverse their overdose.
Anyone in the community can take the Narcan kits from the vending machine any time of day or night.
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