Why Should Delaware Care?
Delaware experienced a significant increase in overdose deaths on a per-capita basis in 2022, but has since made progressed in fighting the battle against addiction. New approaches to getting naloxone into the hands of people battling addiction may further curb those numbers.
Vending machines are nothing new in the United States. For as long as they’ve been around, they’ve been a quick fix to a small lunch or new pair of headphones before a long flight.
But a new approach to vending machines is set to take foot in five spots across the First State. Delaware will hop on the nationwide trend to increase access to items like naloxone, an opiate overdose-reversing medication more commonly known as Narcan, through vending machines run by Brandywine Counseling & Community Services.
Other vending machines like this have popped up all over the country, and in some cases, contributed to a reduction in overdose deaths in their counties. These machines come at a time when Delaware looks to continue its reduction in overdose deaths.
Delaware was fourth in the nation in overdose deaths on a per-capita basis in 2022, but saw its first decrease in 10 years last year. Current year-to-date data through May shows that trend may continue.
Distribution of the overdose-reversal medication Narcan is one of the primary uses of opioid settlement funds in Delaware. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY NICK STONESIFER
Items for wound care, safe sex, HIV tests, hygiene, as well as test strips for fentanyl and xylazine would be available in the machines – one item that will not be provided is clean hypodermic needles. The program is funded by a $55,000 grant from the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, and would provide these items to people free of charge.
Brandywine Counseling will operate and stock the vending machines at four of its own locations, as well as the Springboard Collaborative’s “Pallet Village” in Georgetown, an area of 40 cabins dedicated to housing people who are homeless and offering services to get them into permanent housing.
Holly Rybinski, a prevention program manager at Brandywine Counseling, said these vending machines consolidate items already being distributed into an easy-to-use machine. She said the vending machines are currently in development and will roll out in the fall at locations in Milford, Newark, Dover and Wilmington.
People who want to use the vending machines would have to input the ZIP code of where the machine is located to get any items out.
Rybinski said as of now, there haven’t been any limits set on how many items people can pull out, but it’s subject to change. A major part of these vending machines is to provide access to these items discreetly and limit barriers for people.
“The word will hopefully spread and be like, ‘Oh, you can just run up to Brandywine and use the machine. It’s right outside,’” Rybinski said.
Where else is this happening?
According to a report from CNN, 33 states have naloxone vending machines in use. Multiple studies found that states using these machines saw decreases in their overall overdose deaths.
One study done by Daniel Arendt, an assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Cincinnati, found that access to these items through vending machines correlated with fewer overdose deaths.
Arendt is also a pain stewardship pharmacist for the University of Cincinnati Health, meaning he focuses on how pharmacists can manage pain in patients, and in cases where patients struggle with addiction, not contributing to it.
He said he initially found out about the vending machines through his work with patients struggling with addiction and figuring out ways to reduce overdose deaths. Arendt got involved with different volunteer groups doing syringe exchanges and giving out Narcan.
The vending machines are a way to reach people who may not be ready to go right into treatment, or don’t feel comfortable talking with somebody face-to-face to get these items, he said.
Similarly, the vending machines offer flexibility where other initiatives may not be able to, according to Arendt. A syringe exchange or Narcan distribution program may only run for a few hours a day, whereas vending machines run 24/7.
Where he’s based in Hamilton County, Ohio, the vending machines have been able to bring people in who hadn’t been involved with any sort of harm reduction program before. Arendt said they’ve also helped Black and Brown communities, who are at a higher risk of an overdose death, according to a study by the American Journal of Psychiatry.
The study found Black Americans were 1.4 times more likely to die of an overdose than white Americans. It also found Native Americans were 1.8 times as likely to experience the same disparity. Delaware’s Black communities have seen a 147% increase in opioid use disorder from 2014 to 2019, according to data from the Delaware Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health.
Arendt said part of helping people with addiction is starting with small steps, and giving people ownership of their decisions. It also means “[meeting] them where they’re at.”
“Instead of going with all this judgment, you just open that chance for dialogue and show them that love and compassion,” Arendt said. “A lot of times that can make all of the difference.”
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