CLEVELAND —  The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County has partnered with The Centers, a non-profit organization, to install Narcan vending machines in locations across Cuyahoga County.

What You Need To Know

  • Narcan can be used to help reverse an overdose

  • There are five free vending machines throughout Cuyahoga County

  • The machines also dispense pregnancy tests, home HIV tests, fentanyl test strips and more

Adriana Whelan, the Medical Director of HIV and Harm Reduction at The Centers, explained the goal of these machines.

“The whole goal of the vending machines is to prevent overdose deaths,” she said. 

She went on to explain how Narcan works and how it is beneficial to people who overdose.

“The nasal spray goes in the nose and one dose is one spray in the nostril and then they can repeat that dose every minute until that person is revived,” she said.

There are five locations in Cuyahoga County with the Narcan vending machines, three of those in buildings that are run by The Centers. Whelan said that there’s a code that lets people access the machine. 

“It’s free and they just push that number and they are able to access Narcan, however many they need,” she said.

Whelan explained that the vending machines also offer other resources besides Narcan.

“Supplies such as pregnancy tests, home HIV test kits, we also have safe sex kits, we also have safe smoking kits as well as fentanyl strips in these vending machines,” she said.