GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — With a total of four Narcan vending machines in West Michigan, Cherry Health is helping to bridge the gap between access to opioid overdose treatment and eliminating stigma with substance abuse disorders.
“Twenty-four-seven access is about the fact that no one has to ask for it, they don't have to go in anywhere, they can show up anytime,” Bob Smith, chief behavioral health officer at Cherry Health said.
Narcan is a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an overdose. Access to these vending machines can be the difference between life and death during an opioid overdose, but walk-up, ready-to-use vending machines make it easy to access Narcan in minutes for free.
The addition of two new vending machines was made possible by a $20,000 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Smith says the vending machines help to get rid of the stigma that exists around substance abuse. Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death, which has led to a decrease in life expectancy. Access to treatment and resources will help provide hope in tough situations, one of Cherry Health’s goals.
“That's one of our big pushes, to ensure that Narcan is available 24/7 and there's no wrong time to pick up Narcan and we want to ensure that anyone who's interested in having it at any moment can show up, hit a couple buttons and get a free box Narcan,” Smith said.
Access to the spray is being expanded across West Michigan, providing safe and effective overdose reversal medication in the communities served.
The new vending machines are located at Cherry Health’s Southside Center at 2303 Kalamazoo Avenue SE, and at the Westside Health Center at 669 Stocking Avenue NW. Smith says having access to Narcan is one step further in providing a safe and healthy community for everyone.
“This is what we do at Cherry Health, we want to be a provider of choice, we want people to feel comfortable and safe and accessing their care and that includes lifesaving medications like Narcan,” Smith said.
Access to all four vending machines throughout West Michigan are available 24-7 and free and the machines are monitored weekly. In 2022, a Narcan vending machine was placed at the Heart of the City Health Center at 100 Cherry St SE and at the Montcalm Health Center location at 1003 N Lafayette St in Greenville.
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