BCHD to debut Narcan vending machine

The Butler County Health Department will hold an event at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to unveil a new resource that area officials have said is much-needed in our area.

Butler County Health Department will have the state’s first self-service Narcan vending machine.

“The Butler County Health Department will join a growing number of agencies and organizations in the U.S. offering self-service Narcan to the public free of charge,” according to a press release from the health department. “Narcan is a lifesaving medication designed to block the opioid receptors in the brain in the goal of reversing an opioid overdose so the individual can be revived and assisted by a medical professional.”

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, between April 2020 to April 2021, the death toll from opioid overdoses rose from 56,064 people to 75,673 people, BCHD went on to report. Missouri specifically saw a 15% increase in opioid-related overdose deaths.

“Communities that provide supports such as accessible Narcan see a positive impact on the lives of the people who live there,” officials said.

States in the U.S. offering sites with Narcan vending machines include Philadelphia, New York, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky, according to the health department. At these sites, the vending machine is located in county jails and drug rehab agencies.

“(This makes) the Butler County Health Department’s acquisition truly a unique opportunity for our community,” officials said.

The vending machine will be in the main lobby of the Butler County Health Department.

“There will be zero personally-identifying information required to obtain the Narcan. A simple voucher accessed for free through the health department will be all that is required, recipients of the vouchers must be at least 18 years of age,” the health department said.

This project is not the first effort by the health department to bring Narcan to area residents. It is just another avenue to get a needed item in the hands of those who need it, said BCHD Administrator Emily Goodin, adding the health department was approached by Missouri Highlands Health Care and both saw the need for it.

In January, BCHD talked with Daily American Republic staff writer Samantha Tucker about their long-standing Overdose Data to Action program from the CDC. It offers Narcan, as well as non-judgmental support to those struggling with addiction.

Sam shared in that article that Butler County listed around 30 overdose deaths in 2021. All were caused by fentanyl, an opioid, or fentanyl combined with methamphetamine.

In 2018, Butler County had 19 “related deaths due to drugs,” with seven in 2019, and at least 16 in 2020.

Narcan, an antidote for opioid overdoses, was administered by Butler County EMS 85 times in all of 2018 and 86 times in 2019, and more than 80 times in 2020, health officials have previously told the DAR, when discussing the uptick in overdoses they have seen in recent years.

A count provided to Sam by BCHD revealed Missouri experienced 1,980 overdose deaths between March 2020 and March 2021, representing a 19.6% increase from the previous year. 1,470 of those deaths were opioid-related.

It is a sad, but true fact, that our area needs Narcan, as well as the services provided daily by many providers and support groups to help battle addiction.

As we continue this fight together, Butler County is lucky to have leaders who step up to find new solutions and keep pushing forward to help.

The vending machine project has been headed up through a partnership between Emily Goodin, BCHD administrator; Amy Bland, BCHD health educator; and Lisa Martin, Missouri Highlands Medical RCOPR project director.

“They have each worked tireless hours to bring this first of its kind project to Missouri,” according to the health department.

Donna Farley is editor of the Daily American Republic and can be reached at dfarley.dar@gmail.com.