UWSP installs Narcan dispensaries to help prevent overdose deaths

By Patrick Lynn

UW-Stevens Point has installed several stations across campus to prevent opioid overdose deaths.

The college announced on Nov. 7 that 17 “Nalox-Zone” boxes were installed in residence halls and buildings with high public use, including the Dreyfus University Center, DeBot Dining Center Marshfield Clinic Health System Champions Hall, and the Noel Fine Arts Center.

Naloxone, a medicine commonly referred to by the brand name Narcan, can save lives if administered immediately after someone shows signs of an opioid overdose.

Each box includes two Narcan nasal sprays, masks for rescue breathing, and simple instructions on how to use the medication.

“The availability of Naloxone provides us with another tool to help save lives,” said Police Chief Tony Babl of UW-Stevens Point Police and Security Services.

The boxes were provided at no charge by Wisconsin Voices for Recovery. The Nalox-Zone Box Program aims to distribute as many boxes as possible across the state.

“The increased presence of opioids in our society is concerning,” Babl said in a press release from the college. “We don’t condone illicit drug use. But the risk of overdose, especially with reports of young people inadvertently taking drugs laced with fentanyl, is very dangerous.”

UWSP is partnering with Portage County Public Health to provide training for the use of Naloxone.

No overdose deaths have been reported on the UWSP campus, the school said, and officers have not yet had to administer the drug on campus. They join police departments in Stevens Point and Plover, and deputies at the Portage Co. Sheriff’s Office, by carrying Narcan doses in their squad vehicles.

More than 150 people die every day from overdoses related to synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

To learn more about the Nalox-Zone Program, or to obtain free Narcan, email [email protected].