MONROE — Rest stops across Ohio will be stocked with an opioid overdose antidote, but some have questions about how the state is going to keep up.
Wednesday night News Center 7′s Brandon Lewis stopped by a rest stop in Monroe and found Narcan kits in an opioid overdose supply box.
But a woman said that wasn’t what she saw last weekend.
Tonja Catron said she was on her way to Cincinnati when she stopped to use the bathroom and saw the boxes.
She runs Miami Valley Harm Reduction Ohio which gives out Naloxone or Narcan to the community.
“What is the plan to keep it full? Because once it’s empty, then when do you put more in it? The point is to get it out to the community to the hands of people that need it,” Catron said.
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Since the Ohio Department of Transportation maintains rest stops News Center 7 reached out to see how they plan to keep supplies stock.
An ODOT spokesperson said they are monitoring the supplies and restock them weekly.
They said rest areas have daily caretakers who also alert them on the boxes’ status.
At a rest stop in Piqua our News Center 7 crew found boxes with two Narcan kits were found in the men’s restroom.
Unintentional drug overdoses in Ohio resulted in more than 49,000 deaths last year, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Jeremiah Byrd is the co-founder of SOS Ministries which helps people overcome their drug addiction.
He lost his son to addiction in 2017, and he thinks the state is heading in the right direction.
“Just from my own experiences, I think a lot of people that are traveling who may be addicted or maybe traveling with someone, if there was an overdose, if they can get to that quickly, I think it’s a really good spot,” Byrd said.
Catron said her organization is willing to help supply Narcan to the rest stops.
We will continue reaching out to learn how these boxes are restocked and more details about them.