‘OAK’ boxes to make Narcan available 24/7 at two Albany locations

ALBANY — Like the “In Case of Emergency, Break Glass” fire alarms can be lifesavers in a fire, two metal boxes are coming to Albany with the same aim of saving lives … in this case to revive individuals who have overdosed on opioids.

One of the Overdose Aid Kit (OAK) boxes has been placed at the Change Center in downtown Albany and stocked with Narcan, gloves, masks and fentanyl test kits. Located outside the 500 Pine Ave. drug-recovery assistance center, the contents can be utilized 24 hours a day and also will include information on how to access resources for addiction recovery.

Plans are to locate the other OAK box in the vicinity of North Slappey Boulevard and Palmyra Road.

Narcan, the brand name of a nasal version of naloxone, can reverse an opioid overdose and restore normal breathing to individuals who have passed out and whose breathing has slowed.

Surviving an overdose can be a first step in getting on the road to recovery, Change Center Director Alesha Burgman said.

One each of the OAK boxes and contents was donated to the Change Center’s parent organization, Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Services, and the city of Albany. The donations were made by the Clinton Foundation and Mobilize Recovery Across Georgia, both of which participated in the organization’s September in the Streets drug recovery celebration.

“It’s really about saving lives,” Burgman said. “What we know is, where there is breath, there is hope (so) they can live to make better choices moving forward.”

The Change Center will check the OAK boxes each day and restock supplies as needed. While the Dougherty County Health Department distributes Narcan during the week, the boxes will make the lifesaving Narcan available 24/7.

“Overdoses don’t always happen between the hours of 9 and 5,” Burgman said. “We want Narcan to be available 24 hours a day.”

Through Tuesday, there had been 26 confirmed drug overdoses in the county in 2023, Dougherty County Coroner Michael Fowler said. Toxicology results are pending in an additional 10 cases in which a drug overdose is the suspected cause of death.

“It may end up we’ve got 36,” he said.

Narcan is effective, and making it more available would be a positive development, Dickie Livingston, the training supervisor for Dougherty County Emergency Medical Services, said. With the amount of fentanyl available in street drugs these days, it can help save the life of an overdose victim prior to the arrival of paramedics.

“It’s a good idea if they know where it’s at and they use it,” Livingston said. “These opiates are a central nervous system suppressant. That’s what slows your breathing down. It (Narcan) works by blocking opiates from getting to the opioid receptors in the brain.”

The EMS responded to 32 overdose calls in September and 45 in October, Livingston. Paramedics administered 20 doses of Narcan in September and 33 during October.

Depending on an individual’s tolerance, it can take only a trace amount of fentanyl to cause death, Livingston said.

“You’ve seen the Sweet ‘N Low packets,” he said. “That’s one gram. You can divide that one gram into 1,000 equal parts, and two of those (fentanyl) can potentially be fatal. Fentanyl is 100 times stronger than morphine. The fentanyl is a lot stronger, so it takes more Narcan.”

Staff Photo: Alan MauldinAlanMauldin[email protected]
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