When people first started putting erasers on the other end of pencils there was a huge debate about whether it was a good idea or not because many thought it would encourage people – especially school kids – to be less vigilant about mistakes. However, when it comes to issues like deaths by drug overdose or infection, Guilford County health officials want to make sure that one mistake doesn’t mean the loss of a life.
To that end, Guilford County officials will gather on Friday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the installation of a new no-cost naloxone vending machine in High Point.
The event will take place at the Triad Health Project, located at 501 West Westwood Avenue in the county’s second largest city.
According to a press release from the county, the Guilford County Division of Public Health’s Drug and Injury Prevention Program is partnering with the Triad Health Project to install the machine.
It will be the third no-cost naloxone vending machine placed in Guilford County.
Two other machines were previously installed inside the Greensboro Detention Center at 201 South Edgeworth Street and the High Point Detention Center at 507 East Green Drive.
County officials state that the vending machine will provide no-cost access to naloxone, wound care kits and fentanyl and xylazine test strips.
They describe those items as tools proven to prevent overdose deaths and reduce infections and related medical care needs.
Naloxone is a medication that’s used to reverse opioid overdoses.
The additional supplies available in the machine – including wound care kits and drug test strips – are intended to address health risks associated with substance abuse.
There has been some debate about the wisdom of distributing these care kits, with some people worrying that they may encourage drug use or at least make users feel better about it.
The purchase of the new vending machine and the first two fills of naloxone were funded by BlueCross BlueShield’s Healthy Blue Foundation.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 11 a.m., and the county has invited media outlets and the public to attend.
County officials haven’t yet released additional details about how the vending machine will operate or whether there will be limits on the number of items dispensed per visit.
This installation represents the county’s latest effort to expand access to “harm reduction” tools through its public health division’s Drug and Injury Prevention Program.
