BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 150 people die every day from a drug overdose. Fentanyl is a huge problem nationwide, including right here at home.
"The scary part is, people are getting it, and they don't know that's what they're getting," Bloomsburg Police Chief Scott Price said.
Since last fall, Chief Price says police have seen several overdoses and overdose deaths.
"People are getting illicit drugs containing fentanyl. They're unaware of it. Of course, the therapeutic index of fentanyl is so much higher than even heroin and is resulting in numerous deaths," Chief Price said.
Recently, a "Nox Box" was installed at Bloomsburg's Town Park, and Price says it's the first of its kind locally. The box contains Naloxone, also called Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid drug overdose.
"The more we can get Narcan into the community, the safer the community will be," Chief Price said.
The box will be stocked by United in Recovery, part of the Susquehanna Valley United Way. The group has handed out more than 1,500 boxes of Narcan since last July. It aims to increase the accessibility and visibility of Narcan in the community.
Price says this is a way to reach more people.
"They don't want to come into a police station necessarily and ask for Narcan, or they may not want to go into whatever facility and ask for Narcan. So, making it available in an anonymous fashion, we hope that it can save lives," Chief Price said.
A representative for United in Recovery tells Newswatch 16 it hopes to put similar Narcan distribution boxes in the Berwick area.
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