Narcan vending machines coming to Cuyahoga County

CUYAHOGA COUNTY, Ohio (WOIO) - Narcan vending machines are coming to Cuyahoga County, complete with fentanyl testing strips, safe sex kits, wound kits, and information on drug addiction treatment.

The vending machines are free and will be located in five locations:

• Centers for Families and Children’s Uptown Office on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland
• Centers for Families and Children on Detroit Avenue in Gordon Square
• Centers for Families and Children’s East Office on Euclid Avenue
• MetroHealth Hospital’s main campus
• Murtis Taylor Human Services System on Kinsman Road

They’re all made possible through opioid response funding in the state.

The CEO of the Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County, Scott Osiecki, says it’s just another way to fight the stigma of an illness that doesn’t discriminate.

“Addictions... they’re biological-based brain disorders,” said Osiecki. “They’re illnesses. Right? So we want people to know that there is help available. We want you to survive. We want you to reach out. We want you to get the help.”

This immediate help doesn’t stop at these vending machines.

There will also be weather-proof emergency access naloxone cabinets outside to make access even easier.

Osiecki says just because you aren’t battling drug addiction yourself, doesn’t mean these vending machines and cabinets aren’t for you.

“One in four individuals will come across someone with a mental illness or an addiction issue, so it’s actually a huge emergency that’s impacting our community right now,” said Osiecki. “They’re the people that you work with, the people you live with, the people that you know, and maybe yourself as well.”

The narcan vending machines will be available mid-late November.

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