Dozens of Narcan stations targeted, cleared out in Oakland County, Michigan
A local organization is working to track down the person responsible for clearing out multiple save-a-life naloxone stations across Oakland County in the last few weeks.
"We've seen a great decrease in actual overdose fatalities here in Oakland County," said Steve Norris, director of recovery support for the Alliance of Coalitions.
Norris believes access to Naloxone, also called Narcan, an overdose reversal medication, plays a major role in the drop in deaths in Oakland County.
That resource, along with many others, is provided in more than 100 save-a-life stations scattered in multiple communities across the county.
"So, unfortunately, a few weeks ago, we had either one or multiple individuals decide that it would be a good idea to completely empty those stations out," Norris said.
Officials said 38 stations were impacted. Norris is unsure of the motive but has his suspicions.
"Panic related to federal funding being pulled, perhaps SAMSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) being pulled. There could be fear related to what's going to happen if these vital tools for our community are taken away by the federal government and that's valid. However, it hasn't happened yet," Norris stated.
Norris is disappointed and says that though the nonprofit has enough supplies to restock these stations, actions like these restrict vital, lifesaving medicine to those whose lives depend on it.
"Taking those resources in bulk from those machines hurts the community the most. We're here as a resource, so if you're concerned about those problems, let's talk, let's have a conversation," said Norris.
Out of respect for the community's privacy, the Alliance of Coalitions has said previously that it will not look at surveillance video of these save-a-life stations. However, because of these incidents, the organization did look at the video and believes it has identified the person responsible.
