San Joaquin County will provide Naloxone in its vending machines for free to help prevent opioid overdoses.
The big picture: San Joaquin County Public Health Services announced that three of its five vending machines will carry Naloxone.
- Naloxone is an opioid antagonist medication used to reverse an opioid overdose. Narcan is a popular brand name medication for Naloxone.
- The medication temporarily reverses the effects of an overdose from opioids such as fentanyl, heroin, morphine, oxycodone, methadone, hydrocodone and codeine.
- The three vending machines that will carry Naloxone are located at the Public Health Services office, the County Human Services Agency office and the Stockton Metropolitan Airport.
What they’re saying: “The research has shown that administering naloxone buys valuable time to get someone treated by a medical professional,” said San Joaquin County Health Care Services Agency Director Greg Diederich.
- Diederich added, “With a growing ease-of-access to fentanyl-laced drugs and other very powerful opioids, this continues to pose a safety concern for our region. By providing free naloxone in our public health vending machines, we increase the likelihood that it can be used by the public to save lives in our county.”
