A Narcan vending machine will soon come to the 95th Red Line station this summer. The station in Roseland is part of a movement to decrease the availability of life-saving Narcan.
This comes after a record-setting 1,981 people died from opioid-related overdoses in Chicago in 2022. Although the University of Illinois at Chicago’s public health researchers have concluded that this number is an undercount by as much as 15%. This vending machine will also include hygiene and fentanyl testing kits in a pilot program to reduce overdose-related deaths in the city and on public transportation.
What is Narcan
Narcan, or Naloxone, is a substance that when taken can quickly reverse the effects of an overdose. It comes in both an injection and a nasal spray, and binds to opioid receptors in the user’s brain, blocking the opioids from affecting the user. Common opioids that Narcan works on are heroin, fentanyl, Percocet, oxycodone, and codeine.
Narcan is a facet of harm reduction; a method of treating the opioid crisis involving safer or managed use. Due to how addictive pain-relief substances are, what is now becoming a common method of aiding users is to prevent death or harm in use. This includes providing clean needles and fentanyl testing strips for users to abet blood-transmitted illnesses or fentanyl overdoses.
Chicago’s Efforts to Curb Deaths
The Narcan nasal spray has been available at libraries in and around Chicago for a few years now. The Chicago Department of Public Health also trained upwards of 300 librarians on how to correctly administer the nasal spray. It is available in boxes inside the libraries that anybody can take from with no questions asked.
A hotline –833-234-6343- was created last year to bring treatment and harm reduction services to users, as well as transportation to clinics.
This comes right after the FDA approving over-the-counter Narcan for the first time. This is expected to soon be coming to drugstores in Chicago.
The Effect of Opioids in the City
The opioid crisis has shattered lives around the city, with the rise in fake substances being laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic drug used in incredibly small doses in hospitals for pain relief. This unfortunately has made its way into the streets in recent years. Fentanyl is around 50 to 80 times more potent than heroin, meaning that if a user does not know that they are taking fentanyl instead of a less potent substance, they are likely to overdose.
The West Side of Chicago has been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic. Systemic issues that were aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic made it more difficult for users to get help. This includes both mental and physical health services limited.
There are on average more drug-related deaths in Chicago than there are motor-vehicle or homicide-related deaths.
Possible Safe Use Cites
This comes as state lawmakers are attempting to legalize safe-use sites in Illinois. These sites, which are now in use in New York City, are businesses where users can consume illicit substances in a controlled environment. These come with the added benefit of fentanyl testing, hygiene centers, professionals trained in safe use and overdose reversal, and clean tools for safer use.
Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson does support the opening of these sites. Still, he worries about their impact on the neighborhoods in which they would be placed. This stance is very similar to others who support harm-reduction tactics but worry about their effect on neighborhoods.
For now, the placement of Narcan and safe-use tools at the 95th Red Line station is how the city is beginning the movement towards safer use of overdose-related death reduction in the city of Chicago.
Written by Caroline Buehler
Sources:
Block Club Chicago: Narcan Vending Machine Coming To 95th Red Line Station As Chicago Grapples With Record Overdoses by Mack Liederman
Block Club Chicago: State Lawmakers Poised To Legalize Drug-Injection Site This Year — But Will City Leaders Follow Through by Mack Liederman
NBC Chicago: As Opioid Overdose Deaths Hit New Record, Pressure Grows for Safe Places to Inject Drugs in Chicago
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of VCU CNS’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of KSRE Photo’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
