Coweta FORCE adds Narcan distribution box | News

Arnold said Coweta FORCE receives 48 boxes of Narcan a quarter from the Georgia Harm Reduction Coalition. The idea is to get as many doses into the hands of people who might need them to save a friend or loved one’s life as possible. The box can help with that.

“We currently have a box in here called the overdose aid kit, and this has Narcan inside of it. It’s free to anybody who needs it,” said J.J. Myers, development coordinator for Coweta FORCE. But a lot of times, we’re not here. … This is easily accessible to anybody who needs it at any time, because we’re gone after 5 o’clock, and people still need it.”

If someone picks up Narcan inside, the staff will take their name and zip code to record where it has gone. That’s not possible when someone takes the Narcan from the box. But Arnold is not worried about the Narcan getting into the wrong hands, he said. Narcan works by competing with opioids in binding with receptors in the brain, thereby reversing an opioid overdose. But if someone does not have opioids in their system, it won’t hurt them. And Narcan doesn’t give people who take it any kind of high, Arnold said.

The box is a red fire extinguisher box retrofitted with shelves. It fits six boxes of Narcan, Myers said. It’s been installed next to the bench outside the front door since February.

People are picking up the boxes. Myers had to fill the box up Friday morning, she said. But it’s not increased the demand for Narcan, she said. Demand has remained steady.

Arnold said the…