Naloxone vending machines placed outside 2 Dane County hospitals

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Two hospitals in Dane County will now have vending machines outside their location with access to a potentially life-saving medications to counteract drug overdoses.

Officials with Dane County, SSM Health, UW Health and UW-Madison announced a partnership on Tuesday to enhance access to naloxone.

The two vending machines will be placed outside of SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital, at the corner of S. Park Street and Erin Street, and UW Health’s University Hospital Emergency Department, at 600 Highland Avenue.

The machines will be stocked with doses of naloxone nasal spray and injection, fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips, menstrual kits and other harm reduction materials. All of the supplies are free of charge.

Dane County Emergency Management (DCEM) Director Charles Tubbs explained the location of the machines was determined to ensure people have easy access to them.

“These items are also available for free, in order to remove the financial hurdles that could stop someone from seeking them out,” Tubbs said.

Public Health Madison and Dane County led a review of overdose deaths in 2020 in Dane County, noting 45% of those who died from an overdose had an emergency room visit within the year before their fatal overdose. About 25% of those visits were for non-deadly overdoses, and 34% happened within about 30 days of the individual dying.

DCEM applied for a grant through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services using opioid settlement funds to buy the machines and items included inside.

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