Public health vending machine. PC: Fox 11 Online
MANITOWOC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s now easier than ever to help solve a rising problem in Manitowoc County.
The Northeastern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center (NEWAHEC) and Healthiest Manitowoc County Substance Use Prevention Coalition (HMC-SUP) teamed up to create a public health vending machine that distributes free Narcan and fentanyl test strips.
“By having this machine, we’re hoping to get the stigma and just make it more prevalent in the community that everyone should carry Narcan,” said Emily Longmeyer-Wolf, HMC-SUP program coordinator. “Overdoses can happen to anyone.”
In 2023, 18 people died from overdoses in Manitowoc County. They’re looking for solutions until the overdose number reaches zero.
“I had the first major overdose when I was about 18,” said Alex Hunt, executive director of The Haven homeless shelter. “I got really lucky that one of the people that I was hanging around happened to have a bottle of Narcan on and was able to resuscitate me.”
Hunt struggled with an opiate addiction for years after he was saved by Narcan. He’s been clean for five years, spending that half-decade serving those who share the same struggle as he once did.
“Being a person in long-term recovery and also doing direct services — working with people that are in recovery — I experience the value of Narcan pretty much every day,” said Hunt.
There are now over 50 public health vending machines around the state, but this is the first in Manitowoc County. The vending machine was funded by a community grant.
Organizers placed the machine at 621 York Street in downtown Manitowoc to make the services as accessible as possible. It’s open 24/7, 365 days per year — so people from all backgrounds and walks of life have access. People just need to go through a few prompts before receiving the Narcan and/or fentanyl test strips, but they’ll remain anonymous.
“Overdoses can happen to anyone,” said Longmeyer-Wolf. “Maybe it’s an elderly grandparent who is on prescription medication that forgets that they took their medication in the morning.”
The hope is that survivors like Hunt can continue to be part of their communities and serve them for decades to come.
“I believe that it happened for a purpose, so that way I could be here today, furthering this mission,” Hunt said.
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