Hattiesburg took a new step toward making access to the life-saving drug Narcan easier by installing a free Naloxone vending machine at Fire Station 6.
The vending machine was installed in early February. It is open to the public 24 hours every day. The identities of those getting the naloxone remain anonymous, and the process is quick and simple.
James Moore is the owner of Moore’s Bike Shop in Hattiesburg, and he advocates for people with substance abuse. He hands out free Naloxone at his bike shop, and it is available whenever the shop is open. He said that the machine provides even more accessibility than what he provides at his shop.
“We still offer it at the store here, the bike shop, but we are only open 5 days a week, and we’re not open at night,” said Moore. “The nice thing about this is that by having it at the fire station, it’s open 24 hours, five days a week.”
Moore also said that installing the machine reduces the stigma around substance abuse and makes people who are struggling feel more comfortable asking for help.
“Simply putting something like this in a public place, on public property, sends the message to the community that as a community we stand beside those who are at risk of dying,” said Moore.
Moore said that in the ten years since his son died of an overdose, he has given hundreds of public talks to colleges and communities. He noticed that the stigma is eliminating itself, and he said it is incredible.
Like Moore, Lizz Dawdy is a parent who lost her child to an overdose. She used drugs herself from the age of eleven. It was after her step-son died from an opioid overdose that she decided to get clean.
“So I will be ten years in recovery on February 28, and when I first moved to Hattiesburg, James Moore had these signs up about Narcan saving lives. His story and his son’s story moved me, because my step-son died in 2014 of an opioid overdose,” said Dawdy. “I didn’t want my children to also have to be affected by yet another family member dying of an opioid overdose.”
Dawdy said she thinks the vending machine is great, and it is not just there for those who use drugs.
“I think it’s not just for addicts. I think it’s for old ladies who forgot and accidentally took their medicine twice. I think it’s for the people who got their opioids from a pharmacy, but they didn’t have time-release, and they were accidentally replaced with rapid-release opioids. I think it’s wonderful,” she said.
Dawdy is a certified peer support specialist and has worked in recovery before at an inpatient treatment center. She said she knows firsthand the number of lives Narcan has saved. As someone who struggled with addiction, Dawdy said that transparency is one of the best pieces of advice she would give to someone who might be starting to struggle.
“You can’t get well in the dark, so having a good support base, a good community, people who are going to be your cheerleaders, it’s so important,” she said.
Co-occurring disorder specialist, Kiandra Lee, from Pine Belt Mental Health, works to teach people how to spot signs of an overdose and signs of addiction. She said that talking and opening up could help if someone suspects a friend or family member might be struggling with addiction.
“Just talk to that friend, just to see, hey, is everything okay? How are you doing? How are classes going?” said Lee. “Just to see if they will open up to you about it. Then maybe even suggesting, do you want to go to the counseling center, because I know we’ve been dealing with a lot of stress.”
Lee said she thinks it’s important that everyone, especially students, learn how to use Narcan.
“I think everyone should know how to use Narcan, because we never know whose life we will save,” she said.
Thanks to the Mississippi Institute of Public Health, any Mississippi resident can go to their local county health department and, if they qualify, receive no-cost medication-assisted treatment. For those who might be struggling with addiction, call the Mississippi Department of Mental Health’s Alcohol and Drug Services at 877-210-8513.
