Last year, one goal of Families Against Narcotics (FAN) of Chippewa County was to get Narcan readily available in our area and at no cost to the residents.
Last week, they checked that one off their to-do list when they placed three Narcan dispensaries at local businesses.
One is located in Kincheloe at the Sault Tribal Housing Authority office; one at the Avery Center near the health department entrance; and one at Midjim’s on Shunk Road, across from Kewadin Casino.
Narcan only works on overdoses caused by opioids. This family of drugs includes prescription painkillers like OxyContin, fentanyl, methadone, and Vicodin, as well as street drugs like heroin.
Narcan will not, however, reverse overdose resulting from non-opioid drugs, like cocaine, benzodiazepines, or alcohol.
Lynn Farnquist, FAN President is excited that the dispensaries are readily available.
"We wanted to have 24-hour access in town, but when those options didn’t materialize, not that they might not in the future, but we were grateful to have Midjim’s offer to place a dispenser there, Sault Tribe Housing Authority in Kincheloe agreed, and Community Action came through for us downtown. The dispenser at Avery is set up and available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., near the health department entrance. The dispenser in Kincheloe at the Housing Authority will be open during their business hours, and the dispenser at Midjim’s will be open during their normal hours, too," she said.
However, Farnquist noted, some are unsure about having a Narcan dispenser at their business.
"Stigma makes some places hesitant to house a dispenser. Others recognize that Narcan is a means to save a life and recognize things like fentanyl are being mixed with other substances and, like it or not, our young people make poor choices, just as many others, and that one choice could be deadly. Others recognize that those with a substance use problem did not plan that path, the majority would be in any other place than where they are health-wise, and they deserve a chance to keep working toward getting healthy," she added.
"Narcan is a life-saving tool which, when that happens, can offer the individual another day to get his/her life back on track by managing the problem and making those healthier choices going forward. It offers a bit of hope, and that bit of hope can mean everything in some situations," she explained.
Farnquist says this project is something that they could not do without community support.
"We are so thankful to those businesses, organizations, and individuals willing to support our efforts in the community. This could not be happening without that support. Special thanks to our Chippewa County Health Department, Sault Tribe EDC and Sault Tribal Housing Authority, FAN Central, and MyMichigan Health," she said.
MyMichigan Medical gave FAN of Chippewa County a donation which would cover most of the cost. Farnquist says their board agreed to go ahead with the purchase then.
FAN of Chippewa County was founded in 2013 in response to a growing misuse of prescription drugs in our community and surrounding area.
