Resources:
Rylee Barnsdale's Feature Article: Naloxone machines and other harm reduction efforts aim to reduce Ypsi-area opioid overdose deaths
Washtenaw County Health Department: Naloxone
It Is Possible Recovery and Harm Reduction Campaign
Washtenaw Recovery Advocacy Project (WRAP)
Unified Wellness Harm Reduction
Transcription:
Rylee Barnsdale: You're listening to 89 one WEMU. I'm Rylee Barnsdale, and this is On the Ground Ypsi. Public health departments across the country are working to address the growing opioid crisis through harm reduction. And Washtenaw County is no exception. Numerous organizations, including the Washtenaw County Health Department, are developing programs to reduce stigma around addiction and provide potentially life-saving resources, like naloxone, also known as Narcan, for free to all of the county's residents. From each of the Ypsilanti District Library branches to the Ypsilanti Transit Center, residents can find or receive free Narcan through vending machines and storage boxes, in addition to being able to order the overdose reversal medicine online or through local pharmacies across the city and township. The health department also works closely with community partners, like Ann Arbor Recovery Community Organization, Washtenaw Recovery Advocacy Project, or WRAP, in order to distribute Narcan, as well as educate on both what addiction and recovery can look like. Joining me today to learn a bit more about harm reduction efforts in Ypsi is Washtenaw County Health Department communications coordinator Beth Ann Hamilton. Hi, Beth Ann! Thank you for being here!
Beth Ann Hamilton: Hi! Thanks so much for having me!
Rylee Barnsdale: Just to start with, for those who might be unaware, can you kind of give a brief overview of what Narcan or naloxone is? Is there a difference between those two terms? Give us a brief look at what that looks like.
Beth Ann Hamilton: Narcan is the brand name for naloxone. So, you might hear them used interchangeably. A lot of times we say naloxone or Narcan. We're talking about the same thing. This is a lifesaving medication that can reverse an overdose from opioids, if it's given in time. So, there's injectable naloxone and also the thing that we see most commonly throughout the county is the nasal naloxone. It's really easy to use. Anyone can be trained in how to use it. And we are really thankful to have this tool because it really does save lives.
Rylee Barnsdale: Now is providing Narcan a new addition to the health department services, or is this something that has expanded over the past few years?
Beth Ann Hamilton: I think it's definitely expanded over the last few years, definitely, thanks to our local organizations like WRAP working really hard to get this out into the community. I know we we'll talk a little bit about our "It is Possible" campaign. When that originally launched in 2020, Narcan was part of it. And that was part of the awareness that we were trying to share with the campaign and doing this revamp of it this last year, there's definitely a lot more availability locally. It's available over the counter. And I think, definitely, it's just easier to get it, which is really great. I think more people are aware of it. It's a great tool, and we're really thankful to have it.
Rylee Barnsdale: And you mentioned WRAP, the organization WRAP. Can you talk a little bit about what that partnership with this organization looks like from the health department perspective and kind of how that partnership is making these resources more accessible?
Beth Ann Hamilton: Yeah. So, we're super-thankful to have WRAP in the community. So, they're the ones that, a lot of times, are putting out those Narcan--naloxone--vending machines throughout the county. They'll often come to our events, if they can, to provide education and get people connected to recovery services and resources. Our role, as a health department, is a lot more about, like, data surveillance of opioid overdose deaths and kind of like the local data around that. And then also our harm reduction campaign that we have. So, we're really thankful to them for getting those resources out as much as they can. And I'll also mention Unified also. They are another one of our partners who is providing the fentanyl test strips throughout the county and throughout the region. So, they have naloxone as well too.
Rylee Barnsdale: This is WEMU's On the Ground Ypsi. I'm Rylee Barnsdale, chatting with Beth Ann Hamilton from the Washtenaw County Health Department. So, Beth Ann, like you mentioned, this isn't the health department's first or only foray into the world of harm reduction and recovery advocacy. And you mentioned the "It is Possible" campaign. Can we talk a little bit more about some of the other work that the health department is doing in this field of harm reduction?
Beth Ann Hamilton: It really is kind of focused around doing that campaign throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, Lenawee and Monroe counties. But also, we go out into the community often, right, like we recently had been at daytime warming centers in Ypsi over the last few weeks during the winter. And we're about to definitely ramp up that outreach as we move into the summer. So, bringing naloxone and these resources about harm reduction tips, how to use naloxone, that is a part of our work that when we go out into the community and we're bringing COVID masks and other COVID safety supplies and also just providing health education. That is definitely a piece of what we're bringing when we come out into the community.
Rylee Barnsdale: And as far as I understand these specific the vending machines that are distributing Narcan, as well as the fentanyl test strips that you mentioned, these aren't necessarily a part of the "It is Possible" campaign. Is that correct?
Beth Ann Hamilton: That's right. So, the campaign is more about linking people to those harm reduction resources, making sure that they know how to access them and where they are. The campaign also--the other big part about it--is just promoting that recovery is possible, trying to give people hope, sharing local stories of recovery, that people have done this. And if this is something that you're interested in, support and tools are available. So, yeah, the campaign is really kind of about recovery. But the harm reduction piece is big as well.
Rylee Barnsdale: So, the higher accessibility of Narcan, do you feel that that is providing a positive impact on the way that you distribute these educational materials and the way that you are, hopefully, destigmatizing what addiction and recovery can look like?
Beth Ann Hamilton: Yes, definitely. I mean, it's much easier to connect people with resources that they're free and widely available, right? Like, I think, even in in the first round, I don't think they were in libraries yet. They didn't have the vending machine at our building at the health department yet. It's really about letting people know that this is available. And we're so thankful that it is available. In addition to the places around the community that you mentioned, too, there are also multiple ways to order it and to be shipped to your home for free. So, yeah, accessibility is critical, right? Because awareness is great, but if you can't actually get the tools that we're talking about, it's not as helpful, right?
Rylee Barnsdale: What are some other ways that the health department is working in Ypsi specifically to preach harm reduction and, theoretically, make our community more safe?
Beth Ann Hamilton: Yeah. So, I think the biggest way that we're doing that is from our campaign, which we've talked about--the "It is Possible" campaign. So, we have tons of educational resources and materials that people can order either to put up in their school or business or office or really anything. So, we have a lot of these materials available. We are happy to share them to just, again, increase awareness that recovery is possible and that these resources are around and easily accessible through the county. That's the main thing.
Rylee Barnsdale: This is On the Ground Ypsi. I'm talking with Washtenaw County Health Department communications coordinator Beth Ann Hamilton. So, as someone from the health department, Beth Ann, clearly, you have a lot of interest in our community's health and well-being. And you've mentioned that the increased availability of a resource like Narcan can have that positive impact on the community. But what does having a resource like Narcan specifically mean for a community like Ypsi?
Beth Ann Hamilton: So, we know that addiction is a serious illness, right? Like, we know that people may or may not be interested in recovery, and, if they are, they might still be using. It's a wide spectrum of where people are at. So, for us, it's really great and important to have these resources to just meet folks where they're at, keep them safe and reduce deaths as much as possible. And harm reduction--these tools like naloxone and fentanyl test strips, they really do save lives. Like, they are a critical first response. And they prevent deaths and meet people where they are to help them be as safe as possible. I think it's also really important to talk about these things and reduce stigma, because there's no stigma in using naloxone. We have this freely available. It's been really heartening to see kind of the community response. Like, I think that Ypsi is a really cool place to be. People care about each other, and we want to keep each other safe. And I think that I'm really grateful that we have these tools throughout Ypsi and the broader Washtenaw County area to help people really take care of each other and just be as safe as possible.
Rylee Barnsdale: And are there any upcoming projects similar to the "It Is Possible" campaign, or any other pieces of the campaign that we could theoretically see coming in the next few months, year, anything like that you can share with us now?
Beth Ann Hamilton: Not really that I can share now. I know we would love to do more: kind of like youth-focused work and outreach. But right now, mostly, we have a ton of these materials in our office. We want to help get them out into the world, so people see them. They get to hear about these different resources that we have and also hear from the incredible people that we have featured in the campaign. So, two of our folks in the campaign are from the Washtenaw area. Everybody involved is just very passionate and really lovely, compassionate, caring people who really want to help other people and share their story and just promote hope in general. So, those recovery stories are also just very, very cool to have. They're up on our website. We have some YouTube videos. Folks are featured in the materials that we have available. We're really thankful that we can kind of amplify those stories and just get them out into the into the community.
Rylee Barnsdale: Well, Beth Ann, thank you so much for being here with me today to give us a better look at the health department's ongoing efforts at keeping Ypsi's community safe and healthy.
Beth Ann Hamilton: Thanks so much for having me.
Rylee Barnsdale: For more information on today's topic and links to the full article, visit our website at wemu.org. On the Ground Ypsi is brought to you in partnership with Concentrate Media. I'm Rylee Barnsdale, and this is your community NPR station, 89 one WEMU FM, Ypsilanti.
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