There are now some new locations in Cassopolis and Niles for anyone to pick up free doses of the anti-overdose drug, Narcan. Cass Family Clinic has installed vending machines with the drug at its health centers in both communities.
Cass Family Clinic Pharmacy Director Kevin Klipowicz tells us the vending machines were paid for with a $13,000 grant from the Cass County Opioid Settlement fund. The fund approached the clinic about the idea.
“I was actually voting this year over at the Niles County Courthouse and I saw that they had a vending machine there, so I sent that over to our CEO and he said, ‘Yeah, the opioid fund reached out to us to see,’ and we talked to them about getting some vending machines in,” Klipowicz said.
Vending machines that dispense free doses of Narcan can be found in locations like the Berrien County Jail and some local police departments around Southwest Michigan. Klipowicz says as a pharmacist, he’s seen the evidence of opioid abuse in the community, and providing these vending machines is one way to help prevent tragedy.
“I actually have already had to fill up the machine once over in Niles. A lot of people have been utilizing it, which is great. We think of Narcan as a — when I would counsel patients on it, just think of it as a fire extinguisher. Just in case of an emergency, it’s good to have one on hand.”
Narcan is a nasal spray that can unbind opioids from the receptors that cause their effects within seconds, getting a person breathing again when they’re experiencing an overdose. Klipowicz says anyone who knows someone that may be at risk is well advised to keep a dose of Narcan around. The state is providing the actual spray to the clinic.
Klipowicz says Cass Family Clinic also plans to install a third Narcan vending machine at its new office in Dowagiac when it opens this year.
