A new project along Interstate 44 is making a potentially lifesaving tool easier to find, and the Webster County Health Unit is helping keep it stocked.
The Rest Easy pilot project has placed two “porch boxes” at the eastbound and westbound welcome centers on I-44 near Conway. The boxes contain free naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, which can be used to reverse an opioid overdose.
And people are using them.
Ashley Dedmon, health educator with the Webster County Health Unit, said about 480 boxes of naloxone have been distributed from the two locations since they were installed in May.
“They’re free for travelers, passersby, whoever comes through and wants to pick one up,” Dedmon said.
The boxes look somewhat like old newspaper vending machines and allow people to pick up naloxone while stopping at either of the Conway welcome centers.
The project recently marked the effort with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Rest Easy is a partnership involving several organizations, including the Webster County Health Unit, Missouri Department of Transportation, AIDS Project of the Ozarks, Southwest Drug Poisoning Coalition, Springfield Fire and the Missouri Hospital Association.
Staff members from the Webster County Health Unit have taken on a hands-on role. Dedmon said health unit employees travel to the sites each week to restock the boxes.
The naloxone itself comes through Get Missouri Naloxone. Dedmon said the medication is being provided through Missouri’s opioid settlement funds rather than traditional tax funding.
Getting the pilot project from an idea to an actual box along one of Missouri’s busiest highways took some time.
Dedmon said discussions began as early as late last year, with organizers working to bring the different partners together and get the necessary approvals.
Having MoDOT involved was particularly important because the boxes are located at state-operated facilities.
“We’re grateful that they wanted to partner on this and they were willing to trial it in our area,” Dedmon said.
The Conway locations also give the project the chance to reach far more than just Webster County residents.
Both welcome centers see a large number of travelers each year. That means the free naloxone can end up in the hands of local residents, truck drivers, tourists or simply someone passing through southwest Missouri.
Staff members at the welcome centers have also been supportive of the project, Dedmon said.
Their supervisor has heard from people in other parts of Missouri and even outside the state who are interested in seeing similar programs where they live.
That has Dedmon hopeful that what is happening near Conway could eventually become something much bigger.
“I think we will eventually see this throughout the state,” she said.
For now, though, Webster County is helping test the idea.
The roughly 480 boxes distributed since May show there is interest in having naloxone readily available. The setup is intentionally simple. Someone who wants a box can stop, take one and have it available should an opioid overdose emergency happen.
For Dedmon, another important part of the project has been seeing so many different groups work together.
“Mostly I’m just grateful we got to be part of this project,” Dedmon said. “I like to see so many community partners coming together to do something good like this.”
More information about local health programs is available through the Webster County Health Unit’s Facebook page. The Southwest Drug Poisoning Coalition and AIDS Project of the Ozarks also provide information about naloxone and related programs.
