LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – A new vending machine was moved into place in Longview this afternoon, but what it will dispense is a bit unusual.
It will dispense NARCAN, which is used to reverse opioid overdoses. We were there as the machine was delivered to Scotty’s Convenience Store at the corner of Hawkins and McCann Road in Longview.
On a trailer traveling down Highway 80 in Longview, it looked almost like a boxed refrigerator but, according to Greater Longview Optimal Awareness or GLOW, Steering Committee Lead Amy Best, what’s in the box will dispense free NARCAN which might save lives.
“If you get too many opioids in your system, it can suppress your respiratory drive. If that happens that’s when time is critical in getting NARCAN,” Best said.
GLOW is working with Longview partners in Prevention. The machine isn’t stocked yet, but it has been delivered to the location. Best says statistics show there is a higher use of NARCAN in that area, but a big reason for the placement is a partnership.
“Scotty’s was willing to partner with us. It’s a central location within our community. We do have stats for NARCAN usage in the area for EMS stats,” Best said.
She says NARCAN is used for other purposes aside from an overdose.
“NARCAN is something that we give on a cardiac arrest. And that could be for a ruled-out reason. We’re trying to determine if someone needed that for some reason. So, you really have to look into each individual call and why the medication was given to determine if it was even a factor,” Best said.
She says NARCAN can be given as a precaution on an emergency call.
“Just like we check your blood sugar to make sure maybe your sugar’s not too low and that could be the reason you’re in cardiac arrest,” Best said.
She says multiple apartment complexes and assisted living facilities contribute to a higher use of NARCAN on ambulance calls in that area. She also says overdoses can be accidental, but either way, she wants NARCAN readily available. They want to:
“Have it out in the community and empower individuals to use it when it might help someone,” Best said.
Best says the vending machine will be stocked and running in the next few weeks. And she’d like the public to know that free NARCAN is also available for free at the Longview Public Library, no questions asked.
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