NaloxBox to help prevent overdoses in libraries and community centers

As the global pandemic continues to grab attention with new variants and uncertainty about when it will end, the hidden scourge of opioid addiction has also raged on, quietly claiming lives.

Now, libraries and community centers in Columbus are hoping that wall-mounted resuscitation stations called the NaloxBox will help prevent overdose deaths.

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Because of supply chain problems, the Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Board of Franklin County (ADAMH) had problems getting the equipment delivered, even though funding had been secured through the Opioid Response Program, said Shelly Hoffman, ADAMH spokeswoman.

"There were more than 800 deaths in Franklin County in 2020, a 47% increase over the previous year," Hoffman said. "We now have the resources, and the equipment is in."

Eventually, 150 of the boxes will be distributed to locations in high-risk zip codes. The first 50 will be divided among 13 Columbus Recreation and Parks community centers and the libraries.

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Columbus Metropolitan Library already has 12 of the boxes mounted on walls, including on the second floor of Main Library Downtown.

A news conference and demonstration of the stations and devices will take place 10 a.m. Thursday at Main Library. 

Each NaloxBox will hold two doses of nasal spray. Instructions tell users to check for symptoms of an overdose, administer the drug, call 911 and wait until emergency crews arrive.

Opioids can cause difficulty breathing, sedation, and potentially death. Naloxone only works if opioids are present in the body, and has no effect if they are not. It usually takes 2 to 3 minutes to take effect and lasts 60 to 90 minutes.

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Library officials had previously decided not to put naloxone in its 23 branches, in part because of the responsibility to maintain and re-stock the units, said spokesman Ben Zenitsky. However, state funding, along with partnerships with ADAMH and other agencies, changed their minds, and the stations are now in place, with 11 more to be installed in coming weeks.

"Obviously, we're in the midst of a continuing opioid epidemic. Now, any customer, any good Samaritan in good faith, can use this drug on an overdose victim."

Zenitsky said overdoses have taken place in libraries, just as they have at other public locations.

The library also is distributing at no cost COVID-19 test kits supplied with state funding. The library system recently handed out a record 13,000 tests in one week.

Initially, 13 Columbus community recreation centers will have the stations, said spokeswoman Kerry Francis.

And while parks and playgrounds may not seem appropriate for drug overdose outreach, Francis said many of the centers are in communities where they'll be needed.

"Our centers are located in some of the most-vulnerable places in the city," she said. "We offer a lot of programming about violence prevention and mental health assistance," she said.

Dustin Mets, CEO of CompDrug, the non-profit health provider agency that will help maintain and re-supply the stations, said the locations will bring awareness to the problem.

"I think it will open the eyes of all people who don't know they can do something to help."

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso