DEARBORN (WWJ) – Health officials in Dearborn are doing their part to help combat the opioid crisis.
The Department of Public Health will stock two vending machines with Narcan – an opioid-reversal medication – to increase access to the public as the number of overdoses “continue to climb locally and across the nation,” according to a post on the city’s Instagram page.
While the vending machines still need to be approved by Dearborn City Council, officials say one will be placed at the Dearborn Train Station at 21201 Michigan Avenue, and the second location is still to be determined.
The health department has secured nearly 400 units of Narcan from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services under the Narcan Standing Order, all at no cost to the city.
The vending machines will be donated from the Islamic Center of Detroit and will be programmed to distribute Narcan for free.
“Dearborn is not immune from the opioid epidemic. Narcan is a proven life saver in overdose situations and increasing access to the Dearborn community is vital to saving lives. Our effort includes targeted outreach and support to get residents the help they need,” said Dearborn Director of Public Health Ali Abazeed.
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Last fall officials installed a Narcan vending machine at the Oakland County Jail, allowing discharged inmates to obtain free Narcan on their way home.
Opioid and substance use disorder is “a major problem in communities such as ours, but the true and devastating toll is often undercounted and underreported due to stigma,” officials said in the Instagram post.
The exact number of Dearborn residents with opioid use disorders is unknown, but Wayne County has one of the highest opioid deaths rates in the state, and deaths have been increasing exponentially in the last 20 years.