Ferndale Community Services’ executive director Sara O’Connor said she received overwhelming support when she posted on Facebook earlier this month about a naloxone dispenser box hanging outside of the entrance.
This box is part of a larger pilot project to provide readily available naloxone throughout Whatcom County. Whatcom County Health and Community Services officials have yet to determine the locations for the three remaining dispensers.
In an email to Cascadia Daily News, Ron Warner, communications specialist for Whatcom County Health and Community Services, said that they are considering areas with a “higher risk of opioid overdose,” and limited access to naloxone distribution.
“It can be challenging to find a public site, accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week that can host a dispenser box,” Warner said. “Ferndale Community Services is a great example of an organization with a secure and accessible location, in a community with fewer options to access naloxone.”
Community members can access the medication free 24/7. While organizations such as FCS are already stocked with the drug, available supplies can only be obtained during the four days FCS is open, said O’Connor.
Narcan is the brand name for a device that dispenses naloxone, a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses. It binds to opioid receptors in the brain, restoring breathing within minutes. Narcan is safe to use even if a person isn’t actively overdosing and is available in the form of nasal sprays and injections.
Other ways to access Narcan include purchasing it through a pharmacy or an online mail order through The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance.
Placing naloxone kits in a box can help individuals who have no other way to access the medication, are seeking out privacy or are in a time crunch, O’Connor explained.
“This is about accessibility and confidentiality…say if you’re a recreational drug user, you might not want to just walk into a pharmacy,” O’Connor said. “This is a private way that people can come and have this, or if you have a family member who you know is using drugs.”
One of O’Connor’s former classmates died two weeks ago from a drug overdose.
“It’s horrifying to me to think about…this particular drug [opioids] is so frustrating, especially in this work where I’ve learned that addiction is not a choice,” she said. “It becomes a biological thing that’s happening, and I see people every day that are fighting to stay clean.”
The first batch of naloxone is already gone, said O’Connor, and she received two dozen packages to supply the box over the next few weeks.
Sandi McMillan was one of several community members who commented on FCS’ Facebook post. The 55-year-old Ferndale resident noticed the post just a week after her daughter Hannah drove through a grocery store parking lot in San Diego where a middle-aged woman overdosed, prompting her daughter to reach for Narcan.
With this incident on McMillan’s mind, she said that the dispenser box is a strong step in the right direction to combat the county’s opioid crisis.
“With addiction, we need to treat it simply as that – a disease,” McMillan said. “Why our population isn’t as gracious, as if it were kidney or brain cancer…I’m not so sure.”
This naloxone box is located at 5694 2nd Ave. On Friday, Aug. 30, Whatcom County will recognize International Overdose Awareness Day featuring a free naloxone distribution and education event on the Bellingham City Hall lawn.
Olivia Capriotti is a Dow Jones summer news intern, specializing in data journalism. Reach her at oliviacapriotti@cascadiadaily.com.
