Marshfield Clinic Health System Placing Naloxone Boxes Throughout Wisconsin

Thursday, September 12th, 2024 -- 9:00 AM

(Lorin Cox, Wisconsin Public Radio) A Wisconsin health care provider is rolling out a new harm reduction program to combat substance abuse in rural communities.

Accorrding to Lorin Cox with Wisconsin Public Radio, Marshfield Clinic Health System used federal funding to place naloxone boxes in 43 locations over the last year, ranging from Barron and Rusk Counties in the northwest to Dodge and Portage Counties in central Wisconsin.

The boxes contain the naloxone nasal spray known by the brand name NARCAN that can quickly reverse an opioid overdose. Over 1,700 people in Wisconsin died from an overdose in 2023, according to the CDC. That number was down slightly from 2022 but is still close to 50 percent higher than what the state saw just five years ago.

Meagan Barnett, the manager of Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Center for Community Health Advancement, said these naloxone boxes can help continue to lower the state’s number of overdose deaths.

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