Organizations can host naloxone distribution boxes

NEW SERVICE – Individuals with SELF Discovery and the Jefferson County General Health District had naloxone doses in hand and stood at SELF Discovery’s new naloxone distribution cabinet. From left to front: Kerry Sneddon, director of SELF Discovery; Kylie Smogonovich, JCGHD director of nursing; Rachel Shorac, JCGHD Medical Assistant, and Jenna Porter, SELF Discovery Therapist, and, back, Katie Bush, SELF Discovery Administrative Assistant, and Gale Kleinedler, SELF Discovery Therapist. — Contributed

MINGO JUNCTION – A large purple box now sits in the hallway of SELF Discovery, a three-phase intensive outpatient program for drug and alcohol abuse. The box, which is large and opens, is reminiscent of a newspaper dispenser, but instead of papers, it contains free doses of the life-saving drug naloxone.

The box functions as a vending machine that the general public can use during the organization’s opening hours. Once they walk in, people can reach into the box and grab a dose of naloxone, which is used to quickly reverse opioid overdoses.

When the box runs out, SELF Discovery simply needs to notify the Jefferson County General Health District and staff will arrive with a new supply. The box contains instructions for using naloxone, given in the form of a nasal spray.

Located at 220 E. Murdock Ave., Mingo Junction, SELF Discovery installed its box in late October, motivated by a desire to make naloxone more accessible to the public, especially in a private and judgment-free area.

“We have a box that allows community members to access naloxone who may not otherwise have access,” said Kerry Sneddon, president of SELF Discovery, owned by Florida-based Chrysalis Health.

“For the public, we hope to see fewer overdoses as we use more (naloxone). Even for family members who might know someone or a neighbor who might know someone using nearby, so they can have that easily accessible to them, ready to use and you don’t have to pay for it,” Sneddon said, adding that doses have always been available to clients or their families in the event of a relapse.

SELF Discovery’s goal is to bring recovery services to the local community, primarily Mingo Junction, Sneddon said, adding that the organization “very grateful” for the JCGHD, which made this new service possible.

The box at SELF Discovery is part of an order submitted earlier this year to an Ohio Department of Health regional opioid recovery program, for which the JCGHD is partnering with the Stark County Health Department. Through the grant, ODH provided the JCGHD with four newspaper box-style naloxone distribution boxes and six wall-mounted emergency kits.

Local organizations can agree to host a box, which the public can use to obtain naloxone doses. Host organizations will monitor their box usage and contact the JCGHD when refills are needed.

“(Naloxone use) is important to us,” said Health Commissioner Andrew Henry. “For me, the first step in recovery is distributing naloxone in the community. If someone needs naloxone, you’re talking about someone who is really in a bad situation. If you give them that second chance by using naloxone to reverse that overdose, that is the first step they need in their recovery process.”

Two of the new emergency kit-style boxes – containing approximately two doses and a resuscitation kit – have already been claimed for the Jefferson County Tower Building, near existing AEDs. One box is now located on the first floor near the fountain entrance, while the other is on the sixth floor with the JCGHD offices.

Another of the four newspaper-style boxes is planned for Trinity Medical Center East. Wendy Ralston, director of behavioral health services at Trinity, said the health care system hopes to increase access to naloxone and save lives on the East campus. Serving one “diversity of patients and visitors,” Trinity East no longer has an emergency room or emergency services, Ralston said, adding that naloxone “can buy life-saving time until emergency transport arrives.”

“Trinity Health System recognizes the critical role naloxone can play in preventing overdose deaths, especially given the prevalence of opioid-related incidents in our community,” Ralston said. “As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive care and support, we believe that making naloxone easily accessible is an essential step in responding to the current state of overdoses impacting Jefferson County and beyond. … (Hosting a box) aligns with our broader mission to support health and safety in our community by proactively addressing challenges like the opioid crisis.”

That leaves two newspaper-style boxes and four emergency kit boxes that can be claimed by willing agencies.

Three pre-existing naloxone distribution cabinets are located at the Family Recovery Center in Steubenville and in the men’s and women’s restrooms at a rest stop in northern Jefferson County near the intersection of State Route 7 and State Route 213. Considering all the locations, Henry said he would would like to see new boxes hosted in the Wintersville area and in the southern part of the county – Yorkville, Rayland or Tiltonsville for example.

“We definitely want (organizations) to be a partner and understand that there are going to be individuals in need of naloxone coming to their property and accessing the (box),” Henry said. “We absolutely need a welcoming agency that understands the importance of naloxone and ensures it is readily available in the community.”

These boxes are not temperature controlled and must be left indoors. Henry said she’s more or less a “pilot” in the community, and once its effectiveness is observed, the next step will be to create outdoor boxes with 24/7 access. One hope is the implementation of harm reduction vending machines that, instead of snacks, dispense supplies like naloxone, hygiene kits or condoms — items the health department provides so people can access them while the office is closed.

Boxes aren’t the health department’s only effort to prevent overdose deaths in the community. The JCGHD participated in the HEALing Communities Study, funded by the National Institutes of Help. The study ran from 2019 to 2023 and sought to reduce overdose deaths in vulnerable communities through evidence-based strategies, including overdose education and naloxone distribution. Henry said the funding allowed the Department of Health to do this “boot-on-the-ground community prevention.”

With some supplies left from the HEALing Communities Study, the JCGHD is offering free naloxone to the public from its office, Henry said. The department also has a “sustainable relationship” with the ODH, obtaining naloxone through Project DAWN – Deaths Averted with Naloxone.

The availability and use of naloxone to the general public remains controversial, with critics claiming that naloxone could encourage drug use by reducing the risk of death from overdose or that overdose treatment should be reserved for medical professionals .

Proponents of home use naloxone claim that the drug itself is safe and effective, even when used by non-medical personnel. Additionally, proponents say naloxone distribution is a method “harm reduction” — mitigating the physical or social consequences associated with drug use — which can extend the lives of opioid users so they can receive treatment.

The number of overdose deaths in Jefferson County saw a decrease of about 50 percent between 2022 and 2023, from 42 to 22. By the end of this year, Henry said, the county is on track to see numbers similar to those in 2023, and added: “To see the numbers drop by 50 percent and maintain that, it shows some progress.”

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