Pictured Above, Austin Foglesong, Senior Branch Supervisor at Moses Lake Library and Joseph Hunter, Recovery Coach Network Manager at Thriving Together NCW
A Narcan® vending machine, dispensing free, life-saving medication, has been funded and installed by Thriving Together NCW in the foyer of the Moses Lake Public Library.
The vending machine was installed as a joint effort to provide life-saving resources in Moses Lake. It represents nearly a year of planning and collaboration between the City of Moses Lake, Thriving Together NCW, and NCW Libraries. We are so grateful for this partnership.
Here is an FAQ about this important project:
What partners were involved in this project?
Any initiative of this nature requires careful consideration, collaboration, and commitment from multiple partners to be successful. This project was initiated in early 2024 through meetings between City of Moses Lake officials, NCW Libraries staff, and Thriving Together NCW.
The planning process included gathering input and feedback from the Moses Lake Police Department and the Moses Lake Community Coalition. Careful consideration was giving to potential concerns, logistics, and safety. All three organizations endorsed and formalized this project in the Spring of 2024. Thriving Together NCW ordered the machine. The machine arrived in November and Thriving Together NCW installed and stocked it at the Moses Lake Library.
Is this project funded by tax-payer dollars?
No. This initiative, including the Narcan® vending machine and the life-saving medication it provides, is fully funded and maintained by Thriving Together NCW. No tax dollars from NCW Libraries, the City of Moses Lake, or Grant County have been used to fund this initiative.
What is Narcan®?
Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan®, is a safe and effective medication that reverses opioid overdoses. It has been used for decades by medical professionals, first responders, and community members alike. Importantly, naloxone can be administered by anyone and has no harmful effects if given to someone who is not experiencing an overdose. Making this medication in trusted public spaces like libraries ensures that more people have access to a potentially life-saving tool when seconds matter most.
Learn more at the Washinton State Department of Health’s website, https://stopeoverdose.org.
Why is it being located at the library?
Libraries are evolving to meet the needs of the communities we serve. While traditional services, like books and online resources, remain a core focus, libraries also provide access to vital resources and services that address broader community-based challenges, including health, digital literacy, and civic engagement.
Austin Foglesong, Moses Lake Supervising Librarian II said, “As library staff, we are in the business of helping people with access to information and resources. This dispenser is a low barrier safety net that can potentially saves lives for individuals in our community who have substance use disorder or who have a friend or loved one who does.”
NCW Libraries is proud to join public libraries, community centers, and health departments across the nation in making life-saving resources available to the community.
Where else is Narcan® available in Moses Lake or NCW?
Since 2021, Thriving Together NCW has collaborated with community-based organizations to place Narcan® vending machines across the region, saving more than 160 lives through overdose reversals. Each machine provides free, anonymous access to naloxone, helping to empower community members to respond effectively during emergencies.
There is a Narcan® vending machine currently located at the Moses Lake Sleep Center, a local resource for folks experiencing housing insecurity. The Sleep Center’s operating hours are opposite to the library. Installing a second vending machine at the library ensures that folks in the community have as much access as possible to time sensitive, life-saving supplies.
The Washington State Department of Health is urging all citizens to carry naloxone in case of an emergency.
Additional Resources:
Washington State Naloxone Finder (Washington State Department of Health)
Order Naloxone by Mail (People’s Harm Reduction Alliance)
Who needs Narcan®?
It might be easy to assume that substance abuse disorder and overdose events happen primarily among individuals experiencing housing insecurity. However, statistics show that substance use disorder can affect anyone, regardless of income or other socioeconomic factors. A large number of overdoses happen in private homes and among individuals who have stable housing and employment. Regardless of these factors, as library professionals and humans, we don’t want anyone to die from an overdose, especially if it is preventable.
By providing access to essential health resources in trusted community spaces like libraries, more people will be able to access life-saving medication and keep it on hand for future use, should they every find themselves in a situation where they need to administer it to a family member, friend, neighbor, or community member.
Does having a Narcan® vending machine enable substance abuse?
Access to naloxone does not enable substance abuse, it enables recovery.
Studies show that Narcan® often results in a decreased use of opioids. The presence of a Narcan® vending machine does not condone or encourage substance use. Instead, it represents a harm reduction approach, which aims to save lives and provide pathways to recovery for those struggling with addiction. By making naloxone available, we are taking a proactive step to prevent unnecessary deaths while connecting individuals with additional support services. Studies show that free access to naloxone plays an important role in combatting the opioid epidemic on an individual level.
Additional Resources:
Naloxone Saves Lives (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
Why You Should Carry naloxone (Narcan) to Combat Opioid Overdoses (University of California)
Naloxone Myths Debunked (Indiana State Department of Health)
Myths & Facts (Ohio Department of Health)
Naloxone Myths Correction (addictionpolicy.org)
Naloxone DrugFacts (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
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