THINKING INSIDE THE BOX: LLFD teams with organizations to offer free Narcan dispenser to combat overdoses

LOS LUNAS — Layla Valero has experience with Narcan —also known as naloxone — which is a life-saving medication that can quickly restore breathing to those experiencing an opioid overdose, now commonly found in an easy-to-use nasal spray.

For Valero, who is now eight months sober, the experience comes from both ends of the spectrum — administering the spray to revive a person and having it administered to herself.

“I have to give it to another person, and sometimes they’ll get mad at you,” Valero said. “They’ll say things like, ‘Why did you do that? I didn’t want to be saved, you know?’ But it’s like, ‘I don’t know that, you know?’ So my automatic reaction is, ‘I’m going to save your life in one way or another.’”

Valero said she had a similar reaction when a dose of Narcan saved her.

“I wasn’t in the right state of mind ... that was hard because I was just so out of it and so lost at that time,” she said, thoughtfully. “I guess that’s the thing now, having experienced all that I mean when you go out and help folks, it’s like, you need to tell this story, a lot.”

Valero is one of a group of women who now work with Women in Leadership, an Albuquerque-based non-profit with a mission of uplifting, empowering, and inspiring women to develop self-advocacy skills in order to become leaders in their communities.

WIL’s Stacey Burleson and Los Lunas Fire Chief John Gabaldon recently made a formal announcement of the addition of a free Narcan and gun lock vending machine at LLFD Station No. 2, west of I-25 off Main Street. The dispenser is available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The public can also call 505-866-2116 after hours.

Already a hub for the distribution of free doses of Narcan, WIL works with incarcerated individuals, runs a food bank, assists the homeless and focuses on the opioid crisis in New Mexico.

The organization is a Narcan hub, providing free Narcan across the state, including through vending machines, said Burleson.

“I just felt the inspiration was that because we’re having so many overdoses … it is wiping out the Black community and the Native American community,” Burleson said. “So we felt that we needed to try to place Narcan vending machines around different areas (in the state) so that people could get to them.”

Burleson, who founded WIL, said Narcan nasal spray is available in pharmacies; however, its high cost can keep it out of the hands of those who need it the most.

“If you see a machine that says free, people know that they can get it, because it costs $40 at Walgreens,” she said. “Nobody’s going to pay $40 for any Narcan. So if we can get the machines out and let the community know, then people can come get it.

“It’s not just for addicts, it’s also for the elderly, it’s for things like that.”

The vending machine in Los Lunas is the second one in the state, Burleson said. The first is in Sandoval County. Currently, there are plans to place one on Tribal lands as well as high-need areas such as Albuquerque, Clovis or Hobbs.

She said Jo Ann Griego, program manager for Presbyterian Community Health — Presbyterian Healthcare Services, was instrumental in helping get the Narcan dispenser into Los Lunas. Griego said the effort is about public safety, not enabling people, as some critics say.

“We always say we don’t condone substance use. We’re not pushing it, but we just want individuals to identify less risky, safer methods,” said Griego. “You know, harm reduction. And then you never know. The next day, maybe that individual will want to go to treatment, but they’ve got to be alive to make that decision.”

Burleson and Griego both said collaborations such as this one are key to accomplishing what Women in Leadership has set out to do.”

“I just want to thank Chief (John) Gabaldon and his staff for all their amazing help, and Jo Ann, because she did help us make this collaboration possible,” Burleson said, “It’s so important to her. I’m so glad because at first we were, like, ‘Where are we gonna put these machines?’ Then Presbyterian came through.”

“No one’s gonna be turned away,” Gabaldon said. “If somebody’s here and we see they need help, it’s gonna be open for public safety 24/7 because the dispatch center can call our firefighters at any time and we’ll get through to people. Our objective is to keep that access as open as possible.”

In the initial announcement, Gabaldon said, “community members can visit the station, select the product they need, and it will dispense free of charge — no questions asked.

“Gun locks are also available from the same machine to promote responsible firearm storage in local households.”

The chief also said members of the public can request a free training session with LLFD staff to learn how to properly administer Narcan. He also encourages community members not to wait until an emergency to use the vending machine and to call ahead to the station at any time to make sure that LLFD staff are ready to assist anyone needing to get Narcan at Station No. 2.