By Robert Haugh
Santa Clara University introduced what they consider a groundbreaking initiative on Tuesday — a vending machine stocked with free Narcan, a drug capable of reversing the effects of an opioid overdose.
This innovative move aims to empower students to be potential lifesavers in critical situations.
Assistant Professor Jamie Chang told NBC Bay Area, “Naloxone is a miracle drug that can swiftly reverse an opioid overdose. Omitting this crucial resource felt contrary to public health values.”
Campus advocates said that this initiative does not aim to promote drug use. Its purpose is to ensure preparedness for emergencies.
“Especially when attending concerts or frequenting places where students gather, having Narcan readily available allows for immediate action if someone needs it,” student Reha Shah told reporters.
Organizers of the program hope to eliminate any stigma associated with approaching the vending machine. They want students to view those who retrieve Narcan as students who want to help in a medical emergency rather than assuming they are drug users.
Under Chang’s guidance, public health students successfully advocated for the installation of the vending machine.
They’re also actively training fellow students in the proper administration of Narcan.
Other colleges and universities nationwide are also installing Narcan vending machines.
The County is considering a similar program for local high school campuses.
welsharcher,
Addiction leads people to use drugs no matter what the risks are. This is why so many people are dying from use of fentanyl especially which people use because it is so strong and cheap even though they know the chance of overdose is so high.
And as far as fentanyl goes I have seen a lot of reporting that many drugs get tainted with lethal amounts of fentanyl because drug dealers are sloppy in processing them. So recently there have been many more people dying from fentanyl overdoses when they did not think they were taking any fentanyl and taking some other drug in an amount that should not cause an overdose.