Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition rolled out a new initiative to reduce overdose deaths by installing naloxone and community resource vending machines in strategic places. On Monday, officials from various agencies installed the first one near the entrance of the Wilson County Health Department. The old newspaper stands have been weatherproofed and repurposed as a way for the public to access free naloxone, a lifesaving opioid reversal antidote, as well as drug testing strips and other resources.
“Each machine will hold 24 boxes of naloxone,” said Jeff Hill, Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition’s executive director. “Pull it open just a like a newspaper stand, except you don’t have to put 50 cents in it.”
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