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San Mateo County Correctional Health Services and the Sheriff’s Office have installed a machine to dispense free doses of Narcan — the drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose — in the public lobby of the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City, 300 Bradford St., according to a Friday, May 17, news bulletin.
The county said access to Narcan, the brand name for the drug naloxone, is intended to help reduce community harm and potentially save lives. The medication is available to anyone.
“This effort took over a year and is the result of a great partnership with the Sheriff’s Office,” said Correctional Health Services Director Michael del Rosario in a statement. “As we strive to make improvements in the services we provide to our incarcerated persons and to the community, we hope that we can help save a few lives with this project.”
In response to the growing public health threat posed by cheap opioids such as fentanyl, the county Board of Supervisors recommended in May 2023 that the county expand access to naloxone, among other efforts.
The machine provides a box with two doses of Narcan in the form of a nasal spray. The machine also has a touchscreen with information about food, housing, substance use treatment, mental health, probation and parole services.
The California Department of Public Health recommends that friends and family members who know someone at increased risk for opioid overdose — especially those with opioid use disorder — carry the drug and keep it at home, according to the bulletin. People who are taking high-dose opioids prescribed by a doctor, people who use opioids and benzodiazepines together, and people who use drugs should carry naloxone and let others know they have it in case they experience an overdose, according to the state.
Go to the county website, smcgov.org, for more information on the vending machine.
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