Public health stations offer free overdose prevention supplies to the Wayne State community

A newsstand stocked with free, lifesaving naloxone (NARCAN®) and drug testing strips has been installed on the second floor of Wayne State University's Student Center, expanding access to health supplies for students and the campus community. The placement is part of the Well Wayne Stations initiative, a partnership between the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice (CBHJ) at Wayne State's School of Social Work and the Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services.

The initiative aims to reduce overdose deaths by providing low-barrier access to free health supplies, including naloxone and drug testing strips for fentanyl and xylazine, through public health vending machines and newsstands across Wayne County. Because Wayne County experiences the highest number of overdose deaths in Michigan, expanding access to these tools, including on college campuses, remains a critical public health strategy.

This latest placement was made possible through a collaboration with Wayne State's Collegiate Recovery Program, which provides recovery support for students in recovery from alcohol and other drug use.

"While the Collegiate Recovery Program specifically supports students in recovery from substance use, we recognize that substance use touches nearly every campus community in some way," said Recovery Program Coordinator Erin Marks. "The station is an important resource for all Wayne State students, helping ensure safety, reduce stigma, and expand access to life-saving tools, and we're very proud to have helped bring this resource to campus."

Despite the recent decline in substance-related deaths, overdose remains the leading cause of death of individuals age 18-44. Naloxone is a proven, evidence-based tool that reverses opioid overdoses and has no impact on individuals without opioids in their system.

"Students deserve access to basic, life-saving health supplies without stigma or barriers," said Parker Tomkinson, program manager for the opioid treatment ecosystems initiative at the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice. "Students may know someone-a friend, classmate, or family member-who uses drugs, and these stations treat overdose prevention as essential health care, ensuring students can get what they need quickly, privately, and at no cost."

The Student Center is one of a growing number of locations on and near campus where students and members of the community can access these supplies for free, including a vending machine on the first floor of the David Adamany Undergraduate Library and the reference desk at the Arthur Neef Law Library.

Members of the Warrior community who use Wayne State's campus map to find parking, buildings, and other resources can now also use it to locate the nearest opioid overdose supplies by searching the keyword "NARCAN."

The initiative is also represented in Wayne County's "End Overdose Wayne" campaign, supporting overdose prevention education and awareness. Instructions for using the supplies are available via a QR code on top of the newsstand, which links to www.endoverdosewayne.org. The site offers guidance on recognizing and responding to an overdose, using drug checking tools, and finding additional Well Wayne Stations throughout Wayne County.

About the Center for Behavioral Health and Justice

The Center for Behavioral Health and Justice at the Wayne State University School of Social Work delivers actionable data, person‐centered research and evaluation, and collaborative technical assistance at the behavioral health/criminal legal intersection to empower community partners to adopt high‐impact care solutions. We envision a society that prevents, deflects, and diverts people with behavioral health concerns from the criminal legal continuum to appropriate care settings as a means to optimize individual and community wellbeing.

About the Wayne County Department of Health, Human & Veterans Services

The Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services (HHVS) promotes health and enhances the wellbeing of all Wayne County residents through programs, policies, and partnerships that address gaps in access and opportunity for health across all stages of life.