Wisconsin Group Installs Naloxone Boxes To Curb Opioid Overdoses

MILWAUKEE, WI — A Wisconsin group is hoping boxes of emergency medication installed across the state can help cut down the number of opioid deaths that occur each year, according to a Wisconsin Public Radio report.

With the help of Milwaukee-based pharmacy Serve You Rx the group, Wisconsin Voices of Recovery, have begun installing boxes of naloxone to help people who are suffering an opioid overdose. Last year 81,000 people across the United States died from overdoses with more than 500 of them in Milwaukee County, according to the station.

The emergency drug, also known as Narcan, is administered as a nasal spray and people suffering through an overdose can begin to recover within minutes. Boxes have been placed in 11 communities and each one contains the spray, instructions on how to use it and information about opioid treatment and support groups, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.

Alison Miller, a doctor with UW Health, told WPR the boxes should be seen as similar to publicly available automated external defibrillators that can be used to help people suffering from cardiac arrest.

Visit Wisconsin Public Radio's website to read the full story about the naloxone boxes.