A new tool to prevent deaths is now available in Waukesha. A free Narcan vending machine has been installed inside ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital and is accessible at any time, day or night.
People in recovery say this is an important tool that can make a difference for an addict.
"We are people. I'm a mother, I'm a coworker, I'm a friend. I'm not just a junkie or an addict while I was using," said Charlie Hart Sheehan, who is now years sober.
Today, she works as a peer specialist to help others recover from addiction and as a jail transition coordinator for Waukesha County. But before getting clean, she battled between wanting to stop and not being able to.
"If Narcan wasn't available, I wouldn't be here having this conversation with you," said Charlie.
Watch: Narcan helped save her life, now she is hoping it saves others
"You were saved by Narcan?" asked reporter Rebecca Klopf.
"More than once," said Charlie.
While total overdose deaths in Waukesha County have decreased since 2021, a disproportionate amount still involved fentanyl. In 2021, 80 percent of drug deaths involved fentanyl. Last year, 65 percent involved the opioid.
It is why John Kettler from the Waukesha County Health and Human Services Department is making a major push to get more naloxone, or Narcan, into the community. It is an opioid reversal drug.
"We know of at least 330 overdoses that have been reversed with the naloxone," said John.
The county has added a new vending machine at the Waukesha ProHealth Hospital emergency room that dispenses free Narcan and fentanyl testing strips with just the push of a button.
“It is giving them access to something that will give them the ability to make that choice or determine that they don’t want to live like that anymore,” said Charlie.
Again, this is free to take. You can walk into the ProHealth emergency room entrance, grab the Narcan and leave, no questions asked.
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