ALLGEHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Allegheny County has a new tool to fight the opioid crisis. Vending machines are dispensing free naloxone to anyone who needs it.
“Drugs is a war,” said Stephanie Williams. “If it could help, go for it.”
Stephanie Williams likes the idea of this new Narcan vending machine in her Brookline neighborhood, but she questions the location.
“It’s a good thing that it helps people, but I don’t think it’s a good thing near school children,” said Williams. “This is a school too. It’s a daycare center.”
It’s located outside Tree of Life Bible Church on Brookline Boulevard. Besides Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood, there’s also a Narcan vending machine on the South Side and in McKeesport.
“The response has been great,” said Jade Wellness Center Director of Admissions and Outreach Alex Perla. “I’ve had a lot of individuals who have stopped and asked questions. Pressed the button and had some Narcan come out.”
Alex Perla works at Jade Wellness, which is where one of the machines is located. It’s currently empty because the machine isn’t working properly and will be replaced next week.
“There’s a lot of data out there that Narcan doesn’t increase substance use,” said Perla. “It only helps save those lives for those individuals. So the more Narcan we have in our community, the more access people have to this lifesaving medication the less overdoses we’ll have.”
The Allegheny County Health Department is overseeing the program. The department says future locations will be based on areas hit hardest by the opioid epidemic.
“This is a crisis that has really transcended race and many demographics so many more demographics are being impacted by this crisis then may have not been just a few years ago,” said Allegheny County Health Department Deputy Director of the Bureau of Food Safety, Housing & Policy Otis Pitts. “Our black community is seeing some of the highest rates in the county and nationwide for opioid overdose.”
Pitts says the health department has been working on this project for well over a year. It’s looking into putting these new vending machines in areas such as the Mon Valley, Monroeville and Penn Hills. The plan is to set up four more throughout the county.
“For us, this represents the latest attempt to get Narcan in the hands of people who may witness an opioid overdose,” said Pitts. “We feel like these machines will present a low barrier and relatively stigma free environment for people to access Narcan on their own term.”
Pitts says the funding for the vending machines comes from a variety of sources such as state resources and the CDC. Last year, Pitts says the county gave out 20,000 kits.
“The county has Narcan inventory that fluctuates week-to-week, month-to-month,” said Pitts. “Currently we have about 10,000 kits on hand.”
“It’s here 24/7,” said Perla. “So people afterhours, early hours can stop by and get it. As it gets low, the health department comes and refills it. I think we know individuals who have substance use disorder face a very big stigma and sometimes even though Narcan is accessed over the counter in pharmacies now. It’s available at programs like ours. People still feel that stigma when accessing Narcan so this just gives them a way to access Narcan without having to experience any sort of stigma.”
Any organization interested in hosting a vending machine can call the ACHD Overdose Prevention office at 412-209-2274. Additionally, the Allegheny County Health Department encourages people to visit www.harmreductionallegheny.org to request Narcan or other harm-reduction materials including fentanyl test strips.
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