Naloxone vending machine installed at Indiana hospital amid drug epidemic

SCOTTSBURG, Ind., (WAVE) - A naloxone vending machine was installed Thursday, June 9th at Scott Memorial Health in Indiana as part of the state’s effort to curb the drug epidemic.

The machine is located outside the Emergency Department and is one of 19 statewide that are available to the public, the release said.

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced the initiative in December 2021. In January, a similar machine was placed outside the Emergency Department at Clark Memorial Health.

Also known as Narcan, Naloxone is an approved medication used to reverse opioid overdoses.

The free vending machines hold up to 300 naloxone kits that include a single dose of naloxone, instructions for use, and a referral to treatment for substance use disorder, the release said.

“This machine gives Scott County residents access to a medication that could mean the difference between life and death,” Scott Memorial Health’s Chief operating officer Martin Padgett said. “Scott Memorial Health is proud to be the recipient of one of the state’s naloxone vending machines and of our commitment to addressing the drug epidemic.”

Overdose Lifeline, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit, will purchase the vending machines using federal grant funds totaling $72,600 made available through DMHA, the release said.

There is no cost to entities that implement a vending machine.

A 32% increase in fatal overdoses was reported in Indiana between April 2020 and April 2021, according to provisional data released in November by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To learn more about Overdose Lifeline and its efforts to distribute naloxone, or to request a free naloxone kit, click or tap here.