SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Fentanyl overdoses are a nationwide issue, but the battle to reduce overdoses is expanding in Milwaukee County. South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department announced that it secured funding to install a public health vending machine outside of South Milwaukee’s City Hall.
The machine contains multiple doses of Narcan, fentanyl testing strips, medication disposal bags, gun locks and condom kits. All items in the machine are free for the public to use.
In a statement, Jacqueline Ove — Public Health Administrator for the South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department — said the following:
“The Health Department appreciates this opportunity from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and is excited to be able to offer our residents the option of obtaining these life-saving items 24/7.”
George Moore, President of the George IV Recovery Fund says that fentanyl has increased its presence in all illicit drugs across the U.S.
“Seven out of ten counter-fit pills that are confiscated by the DEA have fentanyl in them,” Moore said. “Last year they confiscated over 80 million pills and 14,000 pounds of pure fentanyl.”
Moore says that in 28 of the 50 U.S. states, there are drug prevention programs that require Narcan to be available in all public schools and that he plans to hopefully get Wisconsin to enact a drug prevention program of its own.
“There was 569 overdose deaths in Milwaukee County last year,” Moore said. “Narcan was delivered more than 5,500 times across all of Wisconsin.”
Moore hopes that as time continues, more communities install harm reduction machines to ensure that overdoses themselves no longer become an issue within the state.
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