{"id":49639,"date":"2025-11-25T12:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T17:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/?p=49639"},"modified":"2025-11-25T09:34:45","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T14:34:45","slug":"new-vending-machine-at-paulding-county-health-department-offers-24-7-access-to-lifesaving-public-health-supplies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/new-vending-machine-at-paulding-county-health-department-offers-24-7-access-to-lifesaving-public-health-supplies\/","title":{"rendered":"New Vending Machine at Paulding County Health Department Offers 24\/7 Access to Lifesaving & Public Health Supplies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Mahjida Barryman of the Toledo-Lucas Health Department and Brandi Schrader, Paulding County Health Department Environmental Health Director with the newly installed Public Health Vending Machines at the PCHD.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By: Angel Steiner<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Paulding County Health Department, led by Brandi Schrader, Environmental Health Director and Deputy Health Commissioner, has launched a new public health vending machine aimed at expanding access to lifesaving and harm-reduction supplies for residents. The project is part of the Harm Reduction Expansion Grant operated regionally through Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, which serves 19 counties across northwest Ohio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vending machine\u2014installed just outside on the health department property and available 24 hours a day\u2014is completely free and anonymous to use. No money, ID, or registration is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A primary goal of the regional grant is to expand access to naloxone, the medication that reverses opioid overdoses. Naloxone is extremely effective, easy to administer, and safe even if given to someone who is not experiencing an opioid overdose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s absolutely no liability for anyone who administers naloxone in an emergency,\u201d Mahjida Barryman, of the Harm Reduction department at Toledo-Lucas County HD explained, noting that Ohio\u2019s Good Samaritan Law protects those who call 911 or provide overdose assistance. \u201cNaloxone is completely legal to carry, and it cannot harm someone who doesn\u2019t need it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some people fear the medication could be misused or hoarded, health officials say that has not been the case. Toledo has nine machines operating without issues. \u201cThere\u2019s no street value for naloxone. People take what they need, and move on,\u201d the Barryman stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The drug is not limited to those using illegal substances \u2014 many overdose emergencies involve prescription opioids, such as fentanyl patches or post-surgery medications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with naloxone, the vending machine offers a variety of free health and safety supplies, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital thermometers, COVID-19 test kits, Medication disposal bags (Deterra) for neutralizing old prescriptions, Weather-safety kits (ponchos, sunscreen, hand warmers), Hygiene kits and Safe-sex kits (supplied through Allen County\u2019s HIV and syphilis prevention funding).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The supplies are restocked using multiple funding streams, including state and federal grants, Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone), and regional harm-reduction partnerships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Toledo distributes more than 18,000 naloxone kits a year, smaller counties often face unique rural barriers. The vending machine model helps bridge gaps in access, allowing residents to obtain supplies privately and at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barryman praised Paulding County\u2019s willingness to participate. \u201cThe more tools we can provide, the more lives we can save,\u201d they said. \u201cHarm reduction isn\u2019t about condoning drug use\u2014it\u2019s about keeping people alive long enough to recover.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vending machine is now fully operational at the Paulding County Health Department and available around the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about naloxone or harm-reduction services, residents may contact the Paulding County Health Department at 419-399-3921, 800 E Perry St., Paulding or visit the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department\u2019s naloxone resource page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Angel Steiner The Paulding County Health Department, led by Brandi Schrader, Environmental Health Director and Deputy Health Commissioner, has<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":49640,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"colormag_page_container_layout":"default_layout","colormag_page_sidebar_layout":"default_layout","nf_dc_page":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/PCHD-vending.jpg?fit=1016%2C732&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2YQd9-cUD","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-14 23:14:27","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49639"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49639\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49641,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49639\/revisions\/49641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.westbendnews.net\/autonews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}