A Narcan vending machine is expected to be installed at the Monroe County Correctional Center after action by the Monroe County commissioners this week. The medication will be free.
The commissioners approved a memorandum of understanding with Overdose Lifeline during their work session Wednesday. The Indiana-based nonprofit will install a naloxone kit vending machine with 300 nasal doses in the jail lobby.
Naloxone, or Narcan, is a medication that can quickly stop and reverse an opioid overdose.
“In today’s day and age there aren’t many people who haven’t been affected by someone who has overdosed,” county jail commander Sam Crowe said. “I think it’s a win-win for the community.”
The county will not have to pay for the service since Overdose Lifeline is purchasing the vending machines with a $72,600 federal grant made available through the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
“It’s free to the public and that was the whole idea: easy access and easy attainability for anyone who needs it,” Crowe said.
Overdose Lifeline installed its first machine in the St. Joseph County Jail in December. It has since installed machines in the Dubois County Jail, Wayne County Jail, and Tippecanoe County Community Corrections center. The group plans to install 19 machines around the state.
READ MORE: Indiana’s first Narcan vending machine installed at St. Joseph County Jail
“It will make us a safer and healthier community, I hope,” commissioner Lee Jones said.
Free naloxone kits, as well as instructions on how to administer the medicine, are available on Overdose Lifeline’s website.
