NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Twice Daily convenience store in Midtown Nashville has become the first of its kind to provide free opioid overdose reversal medication to the community.
In an initiative led by Fund Recovery, a vending machine stocked with Narcan — a brand name of the medication Naloxone — was installed outside the store Tuesday.
The store, located at 1702 West End Avenue, held a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the project.
In early March, the organization installed three Naloxone vending machines in Fentress County. According to Fund Recovery, Nashville was chosen as another ideal location for the machines because of the number of fatal overdoses that occur in Davidson County.
“We are essentially taking Naloxone vending machines in different strategic locations around the country where there is a high rate of overdose deaths and we’re partnering with local resources, so here in Metro Nashville, we partner with Metro Department of Public Health as well as the Tennessee REDLINE, so when this medicine is deployed, we have local resources to connect them with,” said Ryan Cain, Fund Recovery board chair.
Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons attended the ribbon-cutting. He has worked with Fund Recovery to promote Naloxone awareness through the “Tackle Overdoses Now” campaign.
Naloxone vending machines are also available at two Davidson County Sheriff’s Office facilities: at the Downtown Detention Center on James Robertson Parkway and its Harding Place facility.