The Port Gamble S’Klallam Health Center has partnered with Salish Behavioral Health Administration Services Organization (SBHASO) on the installation of a Naloxone cabinet, which provides easy access to the drug to the PGST community.
Located near the exterior door of the Healing Wing at the Health Center, the Naloxone cabinet is available to anyone who wants to access it, day or night. There is no recording of who uses it, no need to request entry, and doses of Naloxone are provided free of charge. The form of Naloxone stocked in the cabinet is NARCAN, an easy-to-administer nasal spray. Instructions are included on the outside of the cabinet.
Naloxone is designed to block and rapidly reverse the effects of opioid overdose. It is a life-saving medication that works against all opioids, including heroin, morphine, and oxycodone.
SBHASO is a consortium of representatives from Kitsap, Clallam, and Jefferson Counties who are working to establish and operate a comprehensive community mental health system. PGST is the first community in the three-county region to enter into an agreement with the organization to install a Naloxone cabinet. SBHASO is establishing a website identifying free Naloxone sites.
The PGST Health Center will work with SBHASO to keep the cabinet stocked and maintained.
