Tacoma Public Library announcement.
TACOMA, WASH.— This month, Tacoma Needle Exchange and the Dave Purchase Project will install a vending machine supplying free naloxone – a medication commonly known as NARCAN that can reverse an overdose from opioids – in the Moore Library at 215 S. 56th Street.
The pandemic increased overdose deaths significantly, and public services like the library see patrons struggling with addiction every day.
Since 2018, Tacoma Public Library (TPL) has made doses of naloxone available to staff to be able to respond to overdoses happening in libraries. TPL’s current supply of naloxone is provided by the Tacoma Needle Exchange.
Tacoma Public Library has partnered with the Department of Health and Tacoma Needle Exchange to train staff how to recognize the signs of an overdose and administer naloxone. Every location has at least one staff member trained to administer naloxone. Training is not compulsory for all staff, and library employees are not required to administer naloxone.
Naloxone has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system, and it is not a treatment for opioid use disorder. It is used to reverse an overdose. Naloxone cannot be used recreationally, as it has no effect on someone who does not have opioids in their system.
“Naloxone is a harm reduction tool that can reverse an opioid overdose. With this opportunity to expand our community’s access to this lifesaving (yet safe) opioid reversal medication, we hope to reduce opioid overdose deaths in our community,” stated Library Director Kate Larsen.
The Tacoma Needle Exchange will also provide no-cost peer counseling services to patrons for 2-4 hours per month at up the Moore and South Tacoma libraries for the next year.
TPL is not alone in offering free access to naloxone. Community members can also acquire free naloxone at any Washington State pharmacy, the Tacoma Needle Exchange, and at other naloxone vending machines in Pierce County.
For more information, visit the Tacoma Needle Exchange website and read FAQs about the naloxone machine on the Tacoma Public Library website.
Great idea. The Tacoma Public Library is to be congratulated for creating a doper-friendly environment that will expose innocent children and adult library patrons who visit the library to the doper lifestyle.
Good going Tacoma Library. Use lots of soap to get the blood off your hands for the children you kill with your doper support program.
You fail to understand that an overdosed dead doper is a doper who will not harm or influence anyone else to follow in their footsteps. You, the Tacoma Library, seem to be hard at work trying to injure and kill innocent citizens, especially children.
Libraries were originally for the pursuit of intellectual development, study, reading, and learning along with book, and library material borrowing. Libraries are not for dopers and the homeless.
What plans do you have for the future? Oh I know, you probably will provide a prophylactic vending machine for the rapists in your community. That will make as much sense as what you are doing now with dopers.
I think I will shred my library card.
Joseph Boyle – A guy who is against dope as dope is not really necessary for a fulfilled life.
The condom machines are in the bathrooms.
Bureaucracy run-amok.
It’s time to start spotlighting the wrong-headed individuals who make up the gaggle of such group-think.
Drag queen Story hour for children, and now this?
What’s next, an abortion clinic and an opium den?
If this doesn’t look like societal-suicide, what does?
SHAME ON YOU!
Those “dopers” as you call them, are human beings. They are someones son or daughter,mother or father, brother or sister! What if it was your child? Would you want somebody just to leave them there to die so that they Wouldn’t be around to influence somebody else? Addiction is not prejudiced it can happen to anyone. The Good The bad The Young the old the Rich and famous and the poor homeless people on the street… And it can happen to YOU or someone you love.
You should be ashamed of yourselves .