CALHOUN COUNTY, MI (WNWN/WTVB) – Thanks to a partnership between the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department and the Substance Abuse Council, two free Narcan dispensing machines are now available at Calhoun County facilities.
The Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that one is located in the bond office of the Calhoun County Jail in Battle Creek while the other is in the garden level of the County Building in Marshall.
The kits are in refurbished newspaper stands. Each kit contains three doses of Narcan and personal protection equipment to provide treatment. A QR code and website on the top and sides of the dispensing container provide instructions on how to administer Narcan.
They are available to anyone who might need one, and the containers will be restocked as necessary by the Substance Abuse Council.
Narcan is a lifesaving medication used to reverse an opioid overdose and is a tool to help those who are struggling with addiction stay alive and connect them with services.
The 2022 Medical Examiner’s Report for Calhoun County shows that the number of accidental drug-related deaths has decreased in Calhoun from 50 in 2020 and 59 in 2021 to 42 in 2022. Many of these deaths show fentanyl in the person’s system, which Narcan can reverse the effects of if caught in time and administered correctly.
Calhoun County Sheriff Steve Hinkley says, “As we work as a community toward less addiction and eventually not needing Narcan available, this is a tool that can be used to save lives first and foremost. That’s the priority—keeping people alive. Addiction affects many families, and all ages, races, and genders. By making Narcan easily available, we can save lives from overdose and work holistically toward curbing addiction.”
Anyone who witnesses a drug overdose should call 911 immediately.
Michigan’s Good Samaritan law provides protection for people in possession of drugs to seek medical assistance for an overdose in certain circumstances. Individuals interested in seeking treatment options can call 1-800-781-0353.
