Dearborn Public Health Director Ali Abazeed (right) explains the reasons for the placement of two vending machines in Dearborn to dispense free Narcan, a medication which can reverse opioid overdoses, during the Aug. 18 City Council Committee of the Whole meeting, while Councilmembers Erin Byrnes (left), Michael Sareini, Leslie Herrick, Ken Paris and Mustapha Hammoud, Mayor Abdullah Hammoud and Corporate Counsel Jeremy Romer listen.
Two vending machines dispensing free Narcan, a medication which can reverse opioid overdoses, will be placed in the city of Dearborn: one at the John D. Dingell Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Ave., and the second at a location to be determined.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – The City Council approved the placement of two vending machines in the city to dispense free Narcan, a medication which can reverse opioid overdoses, at its Aug. 23 meeting.
Public Health Director Ali Abazeed said one machine will be installed at the John D. Dingell Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Ave., which serves Amtrak and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation SMART buses. The other location has yet to be determined.
The two machines were donated by the Islamic Center of Detroit, and the initial 396 units of Narcan were supplied by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services under the Narcan Standing Order.
Abazeed said the vending machine program is based on other nationwide programs, and is based on the philosophy of harm reduction, which recognizes that drug addiction is a disease and acknowledges the importance of preventing overdose deaths, with the goal of keeping people alive to seek treatment when they choose to do so.
He said each vending machine will hold 150 Narcan units, which will be refilled by the Department of Public Health.
Pamphlets on health services and a video explaining how to use Narcan will be available at the vending machine locations. Narcan is not harmful if it is used on someone who is not experiencing an overdose.
DPH will monitor usage volume and will present its findings at the six-month mark.
Abazeed noted the importance of getting Narcan into the right hands at the right time, which includes the family and friends of people who use opioids.
He said opioid and substance abuse disorder is a major health problem in Dearborn, which is often undercounted and underreported due to the stigma attached to opioid use.
Abazeed said Wayne County experienced 700 recorded opioid-related deaths in 2020, the last year for which data was available, and said it is expected that the number of pandemic-related opioid deaths will be even higher.
He said that based on internal reporting mechanisms from Dearborn Police and Fire employees, the opioid overdose problem in Dearborn is significant.
Abazeed said he hopes the vending machines save lives and help combat the stigma associated with Narcan.
He said Narcan machines in public places make it a tool to destigmatize substance use disorder and lets people understand that carrying Narcan is not a bad thing.