Free Narcan vending machine unveiled at Santa Clara University, 3 years after student's fentanyl death
SANTA CLARA -- Santa Clara University unveiled a Narcan vending machine on campus Tuesday as part of National Fentanyl Awareness Day to provide students and other community members free access to the nasal spray which can be a live-saving medication for someone experiencing an overdose.
The new resource on campus comes almost three years to the day a student at SCU died from fentanyl poisoning.
"He was a connector, he made a lot of friends and his death really, really rocked the campus and opened a lot of eyes," said Ed Ternan, father of Charlie Ternan, who died in 2020. "We're going to miss him for the rest of our lives and sadly we know a lot of families in our same situation."
His son continued a family tradition of attending Santa Clara University. Ternan says his son was not facing any substance abuse issues at the time but decided to get a prescription pill online during his senior year while at his fraternity house near the school's campus.
"He was told it was a Percocet, he'd been prescribed in the past, he knew what that would do to him," Ternan told KPIX. "But it turned out to be a counterfeit, so he lost his life."
Ternan and his wife launched the nonprofit Song For Charlie to increase awareness about fake pills with an online campaign that continues to grow on the second year having a day designated to highlight the issue nationally.
He says part of their message is appreciating that there is an antidote for fentanyl, which can save lives. They believe the nasal spray naloxone, which is commonly available as Narcan, has to be accessible to more people and they need to know how to use it.
"You hope you never need it," said Ternan.
The university partnered with Santa Clara County Public Health to become one of the first in the state to have a free vending machine on its campus.
It dispenses a two-pack of the nasal spray which is available almost 24 hours a day. The kit includes instructions on how to recognize someone suffering an overdose and the important steps to take at that moment. There is also a link to a training video with a QR code on the vending machine.
"We want to be able to provide as much as possible along with the education in our community," said Jamie Chang, an assistant professor of public health at SCU. "The idea is that we really want to increase the accessibility by reducing or eliminating the barriers to obtaining this life-saving medication."
Chang is part of the county's Opioid Overdose Prevention Project which helped bring the vending machine program to SCU's campus. Ternan credits the project as being a key leader in the effort to prevent deaths among students.
Many stopped by the vending machine on Tuesday to grab a Narcan kit while others offered training and passed out helpful information on how to stop overdoses.
He says one other aspect of the response is a direct approach to the desire for pills that students hope will help them cope with increased stress and the desire for a temporary escape.
"Just like there is no chicken in the nugget, there is no real Xanax on Snapchat, what you're looking for, you're not going to find it," Ternan said. "If you need a medication, you need to go to your doctor."
Mother's Day Weekend will mark the three-year anniversary of his son's death.
"Charlie is greatly missed by his loving girlfriend, his mom and dad, his sister and brother," Ternan said. "Our lives will never be the same and that's why we're so passionate about trying to prevent the tragedy that our family suffered from happening to other families."
