Sheriff’s Office Adds New Vending Machines with Life-Saving Narcan

Date

8/30/2023

Machines located at Clackamas County Jail, Transition Center, and Parole & Probation

B-ROLL VIDEO — Narcan Vending Machines (.mp4 format)
PHOTOS: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ]

The Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office has installed three new vending machines stocked with the life-saving drug Narcan, also known as Naloxone. The vending machines, funded by a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), are a new tool of the Sheriff’s Office to help combat opioid overdoses due to the fentanyl epidemic.

Making Narcan available and free of charge can help prevent overdoses. Narcan quickly blocks the effects of opioids on the brain -- allowing a person suffering breathing problems due to an overdose to be revived.

The vending machines allow people to access the drug without having to interact with anyone else, potentially bypassing the stigma or embarrassment of reaching out for help. The machines are located in the following Sheriff’s Office locations:

Jail Lobby (2206 Kaen Rd, Oregon City)
Transition Center (2219 Kaen Rd, Oregon City)
Parole and Probation Office (1024 Main St, Oregon City)

Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office Jail Health Services Manager Melanie Menear helped to develop the program. “Many people we interact with have unmet needs," said Menear. "Often times, people are seeking resources, but they don’t necessarily know where to go, or they don’t really enjoy interacting with people. Having something like a vending machine, where it really is a no-contact thing, they will have the option to answer a couple of questions and provide their contact information or remain anonymous before their items are dispensed. For anyone who indicates they would like help or needs resources, our community partners will reach out to them to help meet their needs.”

Data provided voluntarily through the vending machines will be available to our partners with Project Hope and the Clackamas County Substance Use and Overdose Prevention Office.

While the primary purpose of these vending machines is to dispense Narcan, they also offer personal hygiene products donated by agency partners. The machines include items such as soap, deodorant, toothbrushes, HIV testing kits, pregnancy tests, condoms, feminine hygiene products and more at no cost.

[END]

Brian McCall, Public Information Officer
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office
Communications Unit