NEW SERVICE — People with SELF Discovery and the Jefferson County General Health District had naloxone doses and stayed with SELF Discovery’s new naloxone distribution box. From left are, front, Kerry Sneddon, director of Self Discovery; Kylie Smogonovich, JCGHD Director of Nursing; Rachel Shorac, JCGHD Nurse and Jenna Porter, SELF Discovery Therapist and back, Katie Bush, SELF Discovery Administrative Assistant and Gale Kleinedler, SELF Discovery Therapist. — He contributed

MINGO JUNCTION — A large purple box now sits in the entrance hall of SELF Discovery, a provider of intensive three-phase outpatient programs for drug and alcohol abuse. Tall with an opening face, the box resembles a newspaper dispenser, but instead of papers, this box contains free doses of the life-saving drug naloxone.

The box acts as a vending machine that the general public can use during the organization’s business hours. Once inside, people can reach into the box and take a shot of naloxone, which is used to quickly reverse opioid overdoses.

When the box runs out, SELF Discovery just needs to notify the Jefferson County General Health District and staff will arrive with a fresh supply. The box is marked with instructions on how to use naloxone, given as a nasal spray.

Located at 220 E. Murdock Ave., Mingo Junction, SELF Discovery installed its box in late October, motivated by a desire to make naloxone more available for public access, especially in a private and non-judgmental area.

“We have the box for community members to have access (to naloxone) who might not have access otherwise.” said Kerry Sneddon, principal at SELF Discovery, which is owned by Florida-based Chrysalis Health.

“For the public, we hope to see fewer overdoses while more (naloxone) is being used. Even for family members who may know someone or a neighbor who may know someone who consumes in the neighborhood, that they could have so easily accessible to them. , ready to use and you don’t have to pay for it,” Sneddon said, adding that the doses were always available for clients or their families in the event of a relapse.

SELF Discovery’s goal is to bring recovery services to the local community, primarily Mingo Junction, Sneddon said, adding that the organization is “very grateful” for JCGHD, who made this new service possible.

The tape from SELF Discovery is part of an order sent earlier this year to an Ohio Department of Health Regional Opioid Recovery Grant Program, for which JCGHD partners with the Stark County Health Department. Through the grant, ODH provided JCGHD with four newspaper box-style naloxone dispensers, as well as six wall-mounted emergency kit-style emergency boxes.

Local organizations may agree to host a box, which the public can use to obtain naloxone doses. Host organizations will monitor their box usage and contact JCGHD when refills are needed.

“(The use of naloxone) is important to us,” said Health Commissioner Andrew Henry. “For me, the first step in recovery is getting naloxone out into the community. When someone needs naloxone, you’re talking about someone who’s really in a bad place. If you give them a second chance by using naloxone to reverse the overdose, it’s the first step they need in the recovery process.”

Two of the new emergency kit boxes — containing about two doses and a CPR kit — have already been claimed for the Jefferson County Tower building next to the existing AEDs. One box is now on the first floor near the fountain entrance, while the other is on the sixth floor with the JCGHD offices.

Another of the four newspaper-style boxes is planned for Trinity Medical Center East. Wendy Ralston, Trinity’s director of behavioral health services, said the health system hopes to increase access to naloxone and save lives on East Campus. Serving one “various range of patients and visitors”, Trinity East no longer has an emergency room or emergency services, Ralston said, adding that naloxone “I can buy lifesaving time until emergency transport arrives.”

“Trinity Health System recognizes the vital role naloxone can play in preventing overdose deaths, especially given the prevalence of opioid-related incidents in our community.” Ralston said. “As part of our commitment to providing comprehensive care and support, we believe that making naloxone readily available is a critical step in responding to the current overdose situation affecting Jefferson County and beyond. … (Hosting a box) aligns with our broader mission to support health and safety in our community by proactively addressing challenges like the opioid crisis.”

That leaves two newspaper-style boxes and four emergency kit-style boxes left to be claimed by willing agencies.

Three pre-existing naloxone dispensers are located at the Steubenville Family Recovery Center and in the men’s and women’s restrooms at one stop in northern Jefferson County near the intersection of state Route 7 and state Route 213. Considering all locations , Henry said. would like to see new boxes housed in the Wintersville area and the south end of the county — Yorkville, Rayland or Tiltonsville, for example.

“We definitely want (organizations) to partner and understand that they’re going to have people who need naloxone come to their property and access (the box).” Henry said. “We definitely need a welcoming agency that understands the importance of naloxone and makes sure it’s readily available in the community.”

These boxes are not temperature controlled and must remain indoors. Henry said they were more or less a “pilot” in the community, and once their effectiveness has been observed, the next step will be to create outdoor boxes with 24/7 access. One hope is to implement harm reduction vending machines that, instead of snacks, dispense supplies like naloxone, hygiene kits or condoms — items the health department provides so people can access them while the office is closed .

The boxes aren’t the health department’s only effort to prevent overdose deaths in the community. JCGHD participated in the HEALing Communities Study funded by the National Institutes of Help. Running from 2019 to 2023, the study sought to reduce overdose deaths in vulnerable communities through evidence-based strategies, including overdose education and naloxone distribution. Henry said the funding allowed the health department to do that “boots on the ground community prevention.”

With some leftover stock from the HEALing Communities study, JCGHD is offering free naloxone to the public in its office, Henry said. The department also has a “lasting relationship” with ODH, obtaining naloxone through Project DAWN — Deaths Avoided with Naloxone.

Naloxone’s availability and use by the general public remains controversial, with critics arguing that naloxone could encourage drug use by reducing the risk of overdose death or that overdose treatment should be reserved for medical professionals.

Proponents of take-home naloxone argue that the drug itself is safe and effective even when used by non-medical personnel. In addition, advocates say that distributing naloxone is a method of “harm reduction” — alleviating the physical or social consequences of drug use — which can prolong the lives of opioid users so that they can undergo treatment.

Overdose deaths in Jefferson County dropped about 50 percent from 2022 to 2023, dropping from 42 to 22. At the end of this year, Henry said, the county is on track to see numbers similar to 2023, adding: “To see the numbers go down by 50 percent and to sustain that, it shows some progress.”