Corewell Health is making Narcan readily available to the public at select emergency departments and medical offices. The hospital system recently installed 13 new Narcan vending units at locations across the northern region of Michigan, including Belding, Greenville and Lakeview.
Narcan, sometimes referred to as the generic name naloxone, is the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. It will be available at these locations free of charge.
“Last year, Michigan saw 1,925 opioid deaths, which could have been prevented with the use of Narcan” said Kate Behrenwald who works in addiction medicine for Corewell Health. “Having Narcan on you is like having a fire extinguisher—you have it and hope you never have to use it, but when you need it, it’s lifesaving.”
Narcan vending units are at the following Corewell Health locations:
• Corewell Health Big Rapids Emergency Department
• Corewell Health Reed City Emergency Department
• Corewell Health Reed City Family Practice
• Corewell Health Evart Family Practice
• Corewell Health Canadian Lakes Practice
• Corewell Health Care Center, Big Rapids
• Corewell Health Greenville Emergency Department
• Corewell Health Care Center, Lakeview
• Corewell Health Belding Family Practice
• Corewell Health Greenville Family Practice
• Corewell Health Greenville Internal Medicine and Pediatrics
“Narcan saves lives,” said Scott Lombard, Corewell Health Heathier Communities manger for the Northeast Region. “It’s important to us to help fight this opioid epidemic and get Narcan in as many hands as possible.”
The Narcan vending units are being funded by donors to the Corewell Health Foundation and partnerships with Ferris State University and a donation from Central Michigan Recovery and Education Network.
