BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — People in Bloomsburg and Berwick now have access to free Narcan at several boxes set up around town.
The boxes were installed back in February in Bloomsburg, and later in Berwick. Since then, a total of 115 boxes have been taken.
The nonprofit in charge of the effort, United in Recovery, is pleased with that number. Staff tell Newswatch16 people recognize the need for the overdose reversal medicine, and the stigma surrounding the topic is slowly decreasing.
They told us about a note left in one of the boxes from a marine veteran, who says he wished he'd had access to it before, and was going to take a box just in case.
Dave McElwee, a volunteer EMT in Bloomsburg, admits he was skeptical of the idea at first, but has since changed his mind.
"There should be no stigma. You have a fire extinguisher in the house, no one plans on having a fire or being accused of being a fire bug. You have a First Aid kit with Band-Aids because you fall down and go boom, or your kids do. The fentanyl patches for older people are taken by kids - the poison control center is busy every day."
McElwee says he's used Narcan many times.
"I just used it three weeks ago," McElwee recalled. "It's actually a godsend."
"But with the advance of fentanyl being involved and put in anything nowadays - pills, marijuana, gummies - people are just cautious that they said, maybe I should have that just in case someone has a problem with an opioid overdose and I can get it to them."
There are three boxes set up in Bloomsburg:
- Bloomsburg Town Park
- Iron Street and Glenn Ave.
- Main and Leonard St.
And one in Berwick, outside of Gaudenzia, an addiction treatment facility.
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