INDIANAPOLIS — Eskenazi Health recently announced the placement of Indiana’s newest naloxone vending machine, located at Eskenazi Health Center West 38th Street, as well as 10 NaloxBoxes, installed on the exterior of Eskenazi Health Center buildings allowing for 24/7 access.
Indiana reported a 32% increase in fatal overdoses during the 12-month period beginning in April 2020 and ending in April 2021, according to provisional data released in November by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Naloxone vending machines are programmed to dispense free naloxone kits. Each kit includes a single dose of naloxone, instructions for use, and a referral to treatment for substance use disorder. The machine holds up to 300 naloxone kits and is free to access.
A NaloxBox is a hard acrylic box mounted to an exterior wall that provides 24/7 access to naloxone and is an effective measure of addressing the increase of opioid overdoses in Indiana. Each unit contains six to eight naloxone kits. An interactive map showing NaloxBox locations around the state can be viewed at www.overdoselifeline.org/naloxone-boxes-and-distribution-centers. Box locations near by include:
• IMPD East District, 201 N. Shadeland
• Christian Park, 4200 English Ave.
• Brookside Park, 3500 Brookside Pkwy. S. Dr.
• PACE, 2855 N. Keystone
• Queering Indy, 115 N. Pennsylvania
• Garfield Park, 2345 Pagoda Dr.
• S. Emerson Church of God, 3939 S. Emerson, Beech Grove
Naloxone is a medication that temporarily reverses opioid overdose and can save lives.
All Eskenazi Health NaloxBoxes and the vending machine are stocked with naloxone in the form of a nasal spray. As part of the partnership with Overdose Lifeline and the state, all units will be monitored regularly to check supplies and maintain upkeep without intervention needed by Eskenazi Health Center team members.
Naloxone is also available for free from all Eskenazi Health Pharmacy locations around the city with no prescription needed. Additionally, when a patient is prescribed an opioid, they are automatically provided a prescription for naloxone. Project POINT (Planned Outreach, Intervention, Naloxone, and Treatment), a collaboration between the Michael & Susan Smith Emergency Department at Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis EMS and Sandra Eskenazi Mental Health Center, is another key effort in helping to address the opioid epidemic. Project POINT provides naloxone and seeks to link people to treatment for substance use.
