To help reduce the number of opioid overdose fatalities, the Cumberland County Detention Center is trying a new approach, setting up a Naloxone vending machine at the jail.
“We’re excited for the opportunity to increase access to this life-saving measure for members of our community at greater risk of an overdose and to connect those individuals to much need resources. In 2021, there were 183 opioid overdose deaths,” Dr. Jennifer Green, health director of the Cumberland County Detention Center, said in a WTVD report.
The machine is stocked with 300 free Naloxone kits. Each kit includes a dose of NARCAN, a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and directions on how to use it. The machine will allow 24-hour access to the medication kit at the medium-security county jail in Fayetteville.
In North Carolina, people who have been incarcerated are 40 times more likely to suffer an overdose in the two weeks after release. The health department said North Carolina received the machines at no cost from the National Center for State Courts.
Naloxone kits are also available in Fayetteville at the Cumberland County Department of Public Health Pharmacy, which is located on the first floor at 1235 Ramsey St. They will be available at no charge while supplies last.
Visitors are asked to check in at the front desk before heading to the pharmacy for the kit. Resources for addiction are also available at the Alliance for Action website or by calling Alliance Health at (800) 510-9132.
