Potawatomi Tribe installs Narcan vending machines to address opioid crisis in northern Wisconsin
Trying to address the high rate of opioid deaths in its county, the Forest County Potawatomi Community has recently installed vending machines containing emergency doses of naloxone.
The drug, also known as Narcan, is free to the public to help prevent deaths from opioid overdoses. Narcan is the nasal spray version of naloxone, which blocks the harmful effects of opioids in the brain.
“If we can get 500 to 1,000 people to carry Narcan, to me, that has the potential to save many lives,” said Blaine Rosek, the central supply coordinator for the tribe’s Health Division.
He said shortly after the vending machines were installed this fall, people had taken 82 doses within a week.
“That may seem like a small number,” Rosek said. “But that’s a lot of lives that can be saved.”
Forest County has one of the highest rates of opioid deaths in Wisconsin. From 2014 to 2022, the county has had a rate of 34 overdose deaths per 100,000, compared to the state’s rate of 19.2 deaths per 100,000 during the same period.
“In a small community like ours, if we lose a few (to opioid overdoses), that’s too many,” Rosek said. “If we lose one life, that’s too many.”
Opioids can range from prescription pain relievers, such as oxycodone and methadone, to illegal heroin.
Rosek said many people know someone who’s addicted to opioids and having a outdoor vending machine takes away the stigma of addiction for those people to grab a dose and potentially save a life.
“Their loved ones want to be prepared as much as possible,” he said.
The two vending machines are installed outside tribal government buildings.
They cost $5,000 each and were delivered via a grant from the state Department of Health Services.
The DHS encourages anyone who knows someone addicted to opioids to carry Narcan and let others know they have it.
If opioids aren't involved with the overdose, Narcan won't cause any harm if administered, according to the DHS.
Rosek said the tribe has trained all of its staff on how to spot an overdose and when and how to administer Narcan.
He said the tribe also recently trained staff at the nearby Wabeno School District and will hold more training events for the public.
Rosek said he hopes the trainings will help shed more light on addiction in the community.
“It’s a very hard topic,” he said. “It’s one of those things that, if you don’t talk about, then nothing’s going to happen.”
Frank Vaisvilas is a former Report for America corps member who covers Native American issues in Wisconsin based at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact him at fvaisvilas@gannett.com or 815-260-2262. Follow him on Twitter at @vaisvilas_frank.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Potawatomi Tribe installs Narcan vending machines in Forest County
