This new vending machine in Orange County could save opioid users’ lives
People who use opioids and are at-risk of an accidental overdose can now get a life-saving overdose reversal kit — from a local vending machine.
The Orange County jail has become one of the few facilities in the state to offer free Narcan nasal spray for drug overdoses, county officials announced.
Narcan, a medicine used to quickly treat an opioid overdose, is available 24 hours a day in a vending machine in the lobby of the Orange County Detention Center at 1200 U.S. 70 West in Hillsborough.
The drug is available for anyone who uses opioids or knows a substance user and wants to have a kit available when and if needed.
Officials say the detention center is a critical location for distributing Narcan, as a recent study found that people are 40 times more likely to die from an opioid overdose in the first two weeks after they leave jail.
Last year, 3,759 people in North Carolina died from an opioid overdose, including 29 in Orange County, according to Quintana Stewart, the county’s health director.
More than 90% of those deaths were unintentional, Stewart said in a news release.
County health officials say supplies like Narcan and fentanyl test strips are critical as the state fights the opioid epidemic.
The vending machine was funded through a grant from the National Center for State Courts and the state’s Harm Reduction Coalition. The Orange County jail joins facilities in Buncombe, Cumberland, Forsyth, Guilford, Pitt and Wilkes counties.
Narcan use and harm reduction efforts
Orange County’s harm-reduction efforts aim to “meet people where they are,” according to officials.
Those efforts include safe syringe programs where substance users can get sterile needles and public training for Narcan distribution and overdose prevention.
Narcan, a brand of the drug naloxone, blocks opioid receptors in the brain and restores normal breathing if a person’s has slowed or stopped.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan nasal spray, which is sprayed into one nostril while a person lies on their back.
The drug can also be injected under the skin or into the muscle or veins.
For anyone who misuses opioids, having a kit at home is highly recommended, said Caitlin Fenhagen, the director of the Criminal Justice Resource Department in Orange County.
“They cannot use (Narcan) on themselves but it would certainly make sense for them to have it in their house and it would make sense for anybody that may be around them have it,” she said.
Narcan is not meant to be a substitute for emergency medical care and has no effect on people who do not have opioids in their system, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Some examples of opioids are heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, and morphine.
Orange County’s Opioid Advisory Committee
North Carolina will receive about $750 million through the national opioid settlement intended to help communities affected by the drug epidemic.
Over the next 18 years, Orange County will receive nearly $6.8 million.
On Sept. 6, the Orange County Board of Commissioners established an Opioid Advisory Committee to recommend how the county should spend its settlement money.
The 19-member committee is made up of representatives from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill police departments, Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, and from county offices including Social Services, Emergency Services, Criminal Justice, and Health.
There are also several open spots on the committee for county residents through an application process including people with lived experiences, a substance abuse treatment provider, community groups, and employers.
Residents who are interested in volunteering for one of the available positions can contact Tara May at tmay@orangecountync.gov or 919-245-2125.
Narcan availability in Orange County
In addition to the new vending machine at the jail, the Orange County Health Department offers free Narcan kits at two locations.
People can call 919-245-2400 to make an appointment for the kit and other information:
- Whitted Human Services Center, 300 West Tryon St., Hillsborough, 27278 on Tuesday 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Friday from 8 a.m. to noon.
- Southern Human Services Center, 2501 Homestead Road, Chapel Hill, 27516 on Monday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Narcan is also available over the counter at any pharmacy without the prescription of a doctor. Walgreens, CVS, and the UNC Student Health all offer the drug in Orange County, according to Fenhagen.
“Narcan is pretty widely available and its also freely available through EMS,” she said. “And all law enforcement offices carry it.”
Other medical supplies including COVID-19 tests are also in the detention center’s vending machine.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:27 PM.