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CASS COUNTY — Cass Family Clinic, an independent Federally Qualified Health Center serving Southwest Michigan, has installed Naloxone/Narcan vending machines at its Cass and Niles locations, providing access to free opioid overdose reversal kits.

A third machine will be installed at Cass Family Clinic’s Dowagiac facility when construction is complete later this summer.

Opioid overdose is a leading cause of accidental deaths and has led to a decrease in life expectancy nationwide. The Naloxone/Narcan provided at Cass Family Clinic’s facilities is a nasal spray drug that restores breathing by blocking opioids’ effects on the brain. It has no potential for abuse.

The new vending machines at Cass Family Clinic were made available through a $13,000 grant from the Cass County Opioid Settlement fund.

“It’s proven that Narcan saves lives and reverses the effects of an opioid overdose,” said Cass Family Clinic Pharmacy Director Kevin Klipowicz. “We’ve already had to re-stock the Narcan vending machine at our Niles location since being installed in April – so we know there is a definite need for safe and effective overdose reversal medication in Southwest Michigan. With the support of Cass County Opioid Settlement funds, Cass Family Clinic is proud to equip residents in the communities we serve with this life-saving tool and potentially save more lives.”

Opioid-related deaths in Michigan increased by more than 300percent starting in 2013, according to government officials. Opioid-related deaths accounted for over 80 percent of all drug-related deaths in the state in 2017, and prescription opioids were involved in over 70percent of those deaths. In Cass County, alcohol and marijuana use continue to have the highest negative impacts on residents, but heroin and other drug use were 6-12percent of hospital admissions in 2020 and disproportionately high in the court system.

In February, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 24percent decline in U.S. drug overdose deaths.

“By offering Narcan vending machines at our Cass and Niles and soon-to-be Dowagiac facilities, it is our hope that our sustained efforts will help reduce the opioid epidemic in our small corner of the country,” said Cass Family Clinic CEO Joe Gavan. “We’re also looking into additional resources, such as fentanyl test strips that can be used to test drugs for the presence of fentanyl, to expand our treatment initiatives.”

The Cass Family Clinic’s Narcan vending machines are located in the foyer of each facility, and are accessible during clinic hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays,  and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.