Tuscarawas County Health Department expands community access to naloxone

The Tuscarawas County Health Department is working with community partners to expand access to naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

Through a regional grant from Summit County Public Health, the department recently installed a public health vending machine at its office building, 897 E. Iron Ave. in Dover. The machine is accessible 24 hours a day, free of charge, and stocked with public health supplies. Menus and instructions in English and Spanish are posted on the front. Items may include naloxone, feminine hygiene products, first aid kits, hygiene kits, condoms and Deterra drug deactivation bags for safe medication disposal.

With support from the federally funded Integrated Harm Reduction Grant, two additional NaloxBoxes have also been placed in the community. One is inside the New Philadelphia Municipal Court Building, 166 E. High Ave., on the first floor outside the probation office. The other is located in the lobby near the front desk at Tuscarawas County Job and Family Services, 389 16th St. SW.

Since the boxes were added in July, about 60 naloxone kits have been distributed to community members. A NaloxBox placed in the health department’s lobby in August 2024 has provided more than 250 kits over the past year. Each box is designed for easy use and includes instructions for administering the medication.

For more information or to request a free naloxone kit, visit tchdnow.org/project-dawn.html, call 330-343-5555, ext. 1780, or email narcan@tchdnow.org.