Saving lives at the push of a button: Minneapolis unveils first Narcan vending machine

Outside a firehouse in south Minneapolis stands a vending machine that can save a life at the push of a button.

Lifesaving medicine that rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose is now available, for free, from the city's first Narcan vending machine.

"We want everyone to be equipped with the tools to save lives," said Minneapolis Health Commissioner Damōn Chaplin, noting that the opioid crisis hits close to home for many families — including his own.

"It's as simple as pushing a button and getting a box out of the machine," he said. "There is no judgment and no stigma. We want people to be able to get a box when needed and in cases of emergency."

The neighborhoods around Fire Station 21 suffer more opioid overdoses than anywhere else in the city. Seventy-four suspected overdoses so far this year. Four deaths.

Just off the intersection of Minnehaha Avenue and 38th Street, the fire station's new vending machine offers a lifeline. A push of a button will dispense a box containing two doses of naloxone, the active ingredient in Narcan. When someone is overdosing on a drug like fentanyl, a quick spray of naloxone up the nostril can keep them breathing until the ambulance arrives.

The vending machine is accessible 24 hours a day, no questions asked. It's there for anyone who needs it, or knows someone who might.

Christopher Burks, program director for the Twin Cities Recovery Project, stood beside the machine as it was unveiled Wednesday, fighting back tears. He is living proof of the good that naloxone can do. For 30 years he battled substance use disorder, from crack to meth to opioids, until he entered long-term recovery four years ago. Narcan was one reason he lived long enough to see that day.

"You need to know that naloxone saves lives," Burks said. "I wouldn't be standing here if it didn't."

He shared the painful memory of a day in 2016, when he and a friend were using and he overdosed — just minutes after he showed that friend the packet of Narcan someone had given him.

"I was joking, 'Shove that up my nose real far and hit that button if I fall out.' And we laughed and we joked," Burks said, choking up. "Ten minutes later, I was in the front yard, dead. … Anyone can administer this Narcan. Anyone can save someone's life."

Just having Narcan free and accessible to the community, Burks said, is a sign that Minneapolis cares whether somebody's mother, somebody's child, somebody's best friend, lives to see a better day.

"There's almost nobody who doesn't know someone who has been dramatically impacted by opioids," said Mayor Jacob Frey, who tested out the vending machine, dispensing the first box as it went into service on Wednesday, just before the holiday. "It could be a sister, a brother, a father or a friend, but opioids — specifically fentanyl — are having a drastic impact on our cities throughout the country, and Minneapolis is not an exception."

Minneapolis is home to 7% of Minnesota's population, but 20% of its opioid-related deaths over the past five years, Frey said. Thirty-eight of those deaths happened in the neighborhoods around Fire Station 21.

The vending machine is stocked with more than 100 boxes of Narcan that will be refilled as needed. There are precautions in place to prevent someone from trying to empty the entire vending machine in one visit, possibly hoping to resell the medicine themselves (Narcan retails for as much as $50 a box at the pharmacy). If it proves helpful, the city health department will consider installing similar vending machines in other neighborhoods.

Fire Station 21 is at 3209 E. 38th St., just off Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis. Look out for each other this holiday week.