County health initiative recognized

NORWALK — A local agency continues to make an impact on overdose deaths in Huron County. Huron County Public Health is featured as a success story in Ohio's HEALing Communities Study. Staff from the agency implemented a program to install a harm reduction-focused vending machine in Norwalk, with technical assistance and funding from the study, beginning in July 2023. Health department officials determined that around-the-clock access to life-saving naloxone was needed to reduce opioid overdose deaths. As part of this effort, health department employees stocked the free vending machine with naloxone, fentanyl test strips, and other harm reduction materials, then spread the message of stigma and harm reduction through a targeted local communications campaign. Over six months, 616 naloxone kits were removed by members of the public, suggesting that naloxone is providing a vital community service. From July 2022 through December 2023, Huron County was one of 19 participating Ohio counties in the intervention study. The study allocated funding for county coalitions to lead community-engaged, data-driven processes to select and implement evidence-based practices to reduce opioid overdose deaths. A health communications campaign was also implemented in each county to reduce stigma and increase demand for evidence-based practices. The study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Helping to End Addiction Long-term Initiative. "We know naloxone saves lives. We commend Huron County for making naloxone readily available in the community," said Bridget Freisthler, Ph.D., who worked as one of the principal investigators of the study at The Ohio State University.