NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville gas station has become a place for people seeking a life-saving resource.
The Metro Nashville Health Department's naloxone vending machine at a West End Avenue Twice Daily has dispensed over 2,200 doses of the overdose-reversing medication in just five weeks.
"We thought maybe we would be doing it once a week, but never expected three times," said Dr. Ann Melville-Chester with the Metro Nashville Health Department.
The machine, installed a month ago through a partnership between the health department, Fund Recovery, and Twice Daily, provides free naloxone. The medication is similar to Narcan, which can reverse opioid overdoses.
Caitlin, a pharmacy student visiting from Buffalo, stopped to take a photo of the machine.
"Opioids are very addicting, so it is very important to have naloxone on hand. I am a pharmacy student — we just learned the pharmacy section," said Caitlin.
For Caitlin, the resource hits close to home.
"I did have a friend OD five years ago, so this is really, really cool," said Caitlin.
The West End location is Nashville's first naloxone vending machine and the third in Tennessee. The health department plans to expand the program.
"As a program, as a staff, we are like wow, if we can do that in one location, our goal is in the next 90 days is to have three more machines across Davidson county," said Dr. Melville-Chester. "Public health alone cannot do this, it is going to take community-based organizations, other entities; it's going to take schools, it's going to take families."
She added that the additional machines will be placed in areas with the most overdose deaths, and that the program serves another important purpose beyond providing medication.
"We want to make sure you have this life-saving measure available to you so a bad decision doesn't have to be a fatal decision," said Dr. Melville-Chester. "As long as we have overdoses, we are going to need Narcan because Narcan is going to make the difference between a fatal overdose and a person just experiencing an overdose."
The naloxone in the machines is funded by opioid settlement money.
Which community centers in your neighborhood would benefit most from a naloxone vending machine? With three more machines planned for Davidson County, your input could help identify critical locations. Share your suggestions or experiences with addiction resources by emailing our reporter at kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com.
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