Waukesha County looks to install 200 overdose aid kits by the end of the year
In its latest effort to fight the fentanyl crisis, Waukesha County is hoping to make Overdose Aid Kits as accessible as AED machines.
Over 40 of the Overdose Aid Kits, or OAK, boxes have been placed throughout the county in community spaces such as coffee shops, churches, libraries and parks. The county is hoping to have 200 OAK boxes in public areas by the end of the year, according to a news release from the Waukesha County Department of Health and Human Services.
What is an Overdose Aid Kit?
Each OAK box contains Narcan, a nasal spray form of naloxone that can be used to help reverse overdoses. The box also contains fentanyl testing strips, a breathing mask and gloves, as well as instructions for drug administration. Recovery support and treatment resources are also included.
When should Narcan be administered?
Anytime there is a suspected overdose, Narcan should be used and emergency personnel should be called. Narcan has no negative effects on someone who is not overdosing.
Where is Waukesha County putting Overdose Aid Kits?
Elizabeth Aldred, director of the Department of Human Health and Services, said the county is looking to place the boxes in public places where the Narcan is easily accessible.
“We've been outreaching to each of our communities, and asking the leaders in those communities where they think it would be best served to place one of these boxes and then we reach out to those locations,” Aldred said.
The initiative is a mix of the county identifying locations as well as community partners reaching out and requesting an OAK box.
“By working with partners in both the public and private sector, we can make sure these lifesaving resources are available to anyone who needs them and reduce the devastating impact of the fentanyl crisis in Waukesha County,” Paul Farrow, Waukesha County Executive, said in the release.
As part of the county’s outreach, Aldred said the county typically provides training on how to use the Narcan for staff in buildings where an OAK box is placed.
“(The training) gives people a sense of understanding why we are placing those OAK boxes in our community. We really want people in our community to not have that stigma around them but to say, you know, this is one more thing I could do to help somebody,” Aldred said.
What happens if someone uses the Narcan from an OAK box?
Through a grant from the state, the county is able to refill the boxes any time the Narcan is removed. The county asks community partners to routinely check the boxes and reach out for refills. If emergency personnel are called, they normally let the county know that the box needs to be refilled.
“We've got some wonderful partners in this community that are looking to make sure we have the ability to outreach to individuals who have been given the Narcan. It's all about trying to create an opportunity that keeps someone alive and to help get treatment to individuals who are in that space where they need treatment,” Aldred said.
If someone overdoses and Narcan is used on them, Aldred said the person who overdoses always has the right to refuse treatment. The county’s outreach work is focused on making treatment options known and available if someone wants them.
“We do the outreach because a time when people are very likely to want to help is after something scary like an overdose occurs," she said. "And so they're in that mindset where it's like, I need to do something different here."
What does the fentanyl crisis look like in Waukesha County?
In over 87% of opioid overdoses in the county, some form of synthetic opioid (such as fentanyl) was identified, according to county data. That compares with 73% statewide.
In Waukesha County, fentanyl-related deaths have increased steadily since 2016.
Through March 31, nine overdoses in the county have been reversed through the use of naloxone, according to county data. In 2022, 49 overdoses were reversed using naloxone.
Where else can someone get Narcan?
Narcan is now available without a prescription in pharmacies across the state. It’s also available at different community health departments through the Narcan Direct Program which provides free Narcan for distribution.
Megan Woolard can be reached at MWoolard@gannett.com or on Twitter @MeganWoolard4.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha County looks to make overdose aid kits widely available
