Philly.com:  “Machines that dispense the life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone are coming to Philadelphia amid the city’s opioid crisis. The city will install two machines that dispense the drug, more widely known as Narcan, in West and South Philadelphia. They’re expected to be open to the public by the end of the year, said James Garrow, spokesperson for the city’s health department. The two machines will serve as a test run, with plans to install more if they are useful and the city finds additional funding, he said.

“The city’s program, dubbed Narcan Near Me, is geared toward combatting the opioid epidemic and the high number of overdose deaths in the city. The machines were targeted for areas in need of resources dedicated to fighting the epidemic. ‘Recognizing the financial barriers and stigma individuals face when trying to access Narcan from the pharmacy, we wanted a way to get this medication into the community with as few barriers as possible,’ Garrow said. ‘We also wanted to focus on areas outside of Kensington, where there is more direct outreach, to other areas of the city like West and South Philly that are seeing high numbers of overdoses and racial disparities in overdose rates.’

“The machines will have two levels of accessibility. People can either take a five-second survey that asks a person’s age, race, and zip code, or skip that and press a button that will immediately open a cubby with a Narcan kit inside, said Garrow. He said the optional survey was meant to allow the health department to learn who was using the machines, and better target future ones.”