Lawrence adds first Narcan vending machine
LAWRENCE, Kan. – A vending machine that could save a life. Douglas County becomes one of the first in Kansas offering more accessibility to save lives and fight the fentanyl crisis.
The nonprofit behind the vending machine hopes counties in the Kansas City metro may soon take part.
The new vending machine distributes Naloxone, or Narcan.
All you have to do is type in your zip code and out drops a free box of live saving opioid overdose treatment.
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“Naloxone will save someone in the event of an opioid overdose emergency,” DCCCA Chief Community Base Services Officer Chrissy Mayer said.
Mayer said DCCCA is a nonprofit services agency that provides substance abuse prevention and treatment resources.
They partnered with the City of Lawrence, Lawrence Transit, Douglas County Government, DCCCA and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health to install one of the first Naloxone vending machines in the state of Kansas.
It sits on the south side of Central Station in Lawrence, where a few hundred people roll through ever day, according to Adam Weigel with Lawrence Transit.
So far, DCCCA has placed a vending machine in Wichita and another in Hutchison.
Mayer’s next goal is to get two more in Wyandotte and Johnson counties by summer.
She said it’s a matter of saving lives.
“This really does provide accessibility anywhere anytime,” Mayer said. “The machines are available outside 24/7, they’re climate controlled, they are also Wi-Fi enabled, so it also allows us to monitor inventory and then stock those appropriately. Our goal is to never have an empty vending machine.”
Here’s how it works. Type in your zip code on the keypad. Watch the box of two single dose nasal spray devices drop. Then, pull it from the machine and add it to your first aid kit.
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“Get it before you need it. I think is the key message I would have. Overdose can happen to anybody,” Mayer said. “We know that’s the reality, especially with the illicit drug supply, Fentanyl is a huge issue. But there can be emergencies even with prescribed opioids.”
Inside Central Station, they’re now equipped with another life-saving tool – an automatic external defibrillator, or AED.
Division Chief Kevin Joles with Lawrence -Douglas County Fire and Medical said it’s important to have an AED on-site in case of an emergency. He said they’re easy to use and the one inside Central Station walks the public through step-by-step.
“We want people to be able to use these, have good access to them,” Joles said. “So, having it in a public space like this where people often visit, daily will be a game changer if somebody does experience cardiac arrest.”
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Beyond the Narcan Vending Machine and AED, the new Central Station also has a storm shelter in case of inclement weather.
