Montana Tackles Opioid Crisis with Vending Machines for Naloxone and FYL Testing Strips
To make the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone more accessible, Montana health officials are considering installing vending machines stocked with naloxone and FYL testing strips across the state.
A survivor who experienced eight overdoses within two weeks in the fall of 2022 attributes her survival to naloxone. One life-saving incident occurred while she was unconscious in a car on the back roads of the Flathead Indian Reservation. A quick-thinking passenger administered naloxone and performed CPR until she revived.
“The times I wasn’t administered naloxone, it’s a miracle that I made it out,” she said. “People brought me back by shocking me with cold water and doing CPR. But that’s not a for-sure ‘I’m going to bring you back to life.’”
Now nearly two years clean, she works as a recovery coach for a local program and is pursuing a degree in addiction counseling. She keeps naloxone doses in her car to help others in emergencies. However, she is concerned about the drug’s accessibility, especially in rural areas. The inconsistent distribution by state and tribal health departments, combined with the high cost of naloxone at local stores, makes it difficult for many to afford this essential drug.
“How are we supposed to afford this drug that’s ultimately to save the lives of ourselves and those around us?” she questioned.
To address this, Montana health officials have proposed a new strategy. Utilizing behavioral health funds allocated by lawmakers in 2023, officials in the administration have suggested installing 24 naloxone and FYL testing strip vending machines at behavioral health drop-in centers and homeless service locations across the state. The $400,000 plan to build, stock, and maintain these machines for a year is awaiting approval from the governor.
The opioid-related death rate in Montana has tripled in recent years, with Native Americans experiencing even higher rates of fatalities. Naloxone has become a crucial tool in combating these overdoses by quickly blocking the effects of opioids in the brain.
Across the U.S., vending machines distributing naloxone and other health supplies free of charge are increasingly used to fight opioid overdoses, with different models being tested in at least 33 states. According to a 2023 report by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, these vending machines became more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued to grow in popularity, especially in areas with hard-to-reach populations.
“They provide services to [people who use drugs] with far fewer barriers than fixed-site programs and even mobile outreach,” the report stated. Harm-reduction vending machines, it continued, “may also provide greater privacy and anonymity.”
The proposed initiative would mark the first instance in Montana of state-funded vending machines. Local public health groups in various counties have already begun using vending machines to distribute free naloxone and other health supplies. In one county, for example, vending machines have been dispensing naloxone nasal spray and safe drug disposal pouches for over a year.
Despite initial resistance from local businesses, which expressed concerns about appearing to condone drug use, the county successfully installed machines in a nonprofit drop-in center, a state district court building, and the Law and Justice Center downtown, where they are frequently used.
A health education supervisor at the Southern Nevada Health District, which helped establish the first vending machine collaborative in the contiguous U.S., emphasized the importance of listening to at-risk communities. This approach has led to diverse harm-reduction kiosks and vending machines tailored to specific community needs.
Montana health department spokesperson confirmed the proposal aims to place machines in locations serving people with serious mental illnesses and others already seeking services. However, the decision on placement was based on community programming and existing contracts, rather than specific opioid overdose data. The state plans to fund one year of supplies, potentially using federal grants for future stocking, but will not include sterile syringes for illegal drug use.
The initiative represents a significant step towards making naloxone more accessible and reducing opioid-related deaths in Montana.
Source: US News
A survivor who experienced eight overdoses within two weeks in the fall of 2022 attributes her survival to naloxone. One life-saving incident occurred while she was unconscious in a car on the back roads of the Flathead Indian Reservation. A quick-thinking passenger administered naloxone and performed CPR until she revived.
“The times I wasn’t administered naloxone, it’s a miracle that I made it out,” she said. “People brought me back by shocking me with cold water and doing CPR. But that’s not a for-sure ‘I’m going to bring you back to life.’”
Now nearly two years clean, she works as a recovery coach for a local program and is pursuing a degree in addiction counseling. She keeps naloxone doses in her car to help others in emergencies. However, she is concerned about the drug’s accessibility, especially in rural areas. The inconsistent distribution by state and tribal health departments, combined with the high cost of naloxone at local stores, makes it difficult for many to afford this essential drug.
“How are we supposed to afford this drug that’s ultimately to save the lives of ourselves and those around us?” she questioned.
To address this, Montana health officials have proposed a new strategy. Utilizing behavioral health funds allocated by lawmakers in 2023, officials in the administration have suggested installing 24 naloxone and FYL testing strip vending machines at behavioral health drop-in centers and homeless service locations across the state. The $400,000 plan to build, stock, and maintain these machines for a year is awaiting approval from the governor.
The opioid-related death rate in Montana has tripled in recent years, with Native Americans experiencing even higher rates of fatalities. Naloxone has become a crucial tool in combating these overdoses by quickly blocking the effects of opioids in the brain.
Across the U.S., vending machines distributing naloxone and other health supplies free of charge are increasingly used to fight opioid overdoses, with different models being tested in at least 33 states. According to a 2023 report by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, these vending machines became more widespread during the COVID-19 pandemic and have continued to grow in popularity, especially in areas with hard-to-reach populations.
“They provide services to [people who use drugs] with far fewer barriers than fixed-site programs and even mobile outreach,” the report stated. Harm-reduction vending machines, it continued, “may also provide greater privacy and anonymity.”
The proposed initiative would mark the first instance in Montana of state-funded vending machines. Local public health groups in various counties have already begun using vending machines to distribute free naloxone and other health supplies. In one county, for example, vending machines have been dispensing naloxone nasal spray and safe drug disposal pouches for over a year.
Despite initial resistance from local businesses, which expressed concerns about appearing to condone drug use, the county successfully installed machines in a nonprofit drop-in center, a state district court building, and the Law and Justice Center downtown, where they are frequently used.
A health education supervisor at the Southern Nevada Health District, which helped establish the first vending machine collaborative in the contiguous U.S., emphasized the importance of listening to at-risk communities. This approach has led to diverse harm-reduction kiosks and vending machines tailored to specific community needs.
Montana health department spokesperson confirmed the proposal aims to place machines in locations serving people with serious mental illnesses and others already seeking services. However, the decision on placement was based on community programming and existing contracts, rather than specific opioid overdose data. The state plans to fund one year of supplies, potentially using federal grants for future stocking, but will not include sterile syringes for illegal drug use.
The initiative represents a significant step towards making naloxone more accessible and reducing opioid-related deaths in Montana.
Source: US News