CHD Offering Community “Nalox Boxes” for Overdose Prevention
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, March 28th, 2023 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – Just as first aid kits, EpiPens and fire extinguishers serve as easily accessible lifesaving tools, Naloxone and Narcan boxes may have a future as common emergency measures. For the past three years, The Center for Human Development (CHD) has been developing a community “Nalox Box” project to make overdose prevention a quick and publicly accessible option.
For those unfamiliar, Naloxone, often known under the Narcan nasal spray brand, is an opioid reversal drug. When used, the substance removes and blocks any absorbed opioids from the body’s opioid receptors, preventing death in the case of an overdose. Notably, Naloxone itself doesn’t carry any side effects in the event of an accidental dosage and is safe for use by most individuals. As described by CHD employee Lisa Whipple:
“It’s safe. It doesn’t interact with any other medications besides opioids. It’s effective to give to pregnant women. Children can chew on it, and it doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t cause any sort of high itself. The chance of an allergic reaction is next to nothing. That’s why we’re confident in it to put it at open access.
The boxes themselves, pictured above, resemble fire extinguisher cases or other emergency kits located within businesses and public locations. Generally, CHD will reach out to businesses and organizations to set up the boxes in locations where the public will have access to them. Of course, business and property owners are free to request a box from CHD directly. As the boxes are intended for long term fixture and are individually tracked, they cannot be requested for personal or home use, but standard Narcan can be picked up from CHD at any time. Once in place, CHD manages refills and does not charge fees. Currently, ten Nalox Boxes are set up around La Grande and one other in Union, with CHD planning to distribute more in the coming weeks.
Having run the project for roughly three years, CHD is now planning to expand its scope both so the boxes can be more visible to the public in case of emergency and so those struggling with addiction have a quick and easy way of accessing Naloxone without fear of judgment. The ongoing opioid crisis, in particular Fentanyl, is a major driving factor in the pushing for public Naloxone access, with CHD employee Brooke Taylor stating:
“I think our main goal and our vision is to, of course, lower the stigma that surrounds addiction and make it easier for people to have access to Naloxone because, as it’s clear to many people, we’re in an epidemic that is not going away. We can’t afford to not have Narcan out there. The Narcan and the Nalox Boxes, everything that we’re working on is trying to save as many lives as we can, teach people as much as we can and give them as much information as they will allow us to.”
It should also be noted that Naloxone is not just for those struggling with addiction or that know someone who is. Any form of opioid overdose can be treated in an emergency with the Nalox boxes. As Taylor further described:
“This can be used on an elderly person on pain medication that forgot they took their dose earlier and took another one. It can be used on a child that got into their parent’s medicine cabinet and is overdosing. It’s actually used on drug dogs and if your pet gets a bottle open and chews it up and is overdosing…it’s not just for those struggling with addiction.”
For more information, visit Welcome | Center for Human Development, Inc. (chdinc.org) or contact the CHD at 541-962-8800.
