Chicago CTA to install Narcan vending machine amid opioid epidemic

CHICAGO - As the city of Chicago grapples with record overdoses, the CTA is launching a new pilot program to increase access to life-saving tools.

The CTA is planning to install a Narcan vending machine at its 95th Street Red Line station.

There will be five machines across the city, and it's paid for through funding from a CDC grant.

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According to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, nearly 2,000 people died last year from opioid overdoses.

A CTA spokesperson says the Narcan vending machine will also be equipped with harm reduction tools like fentanyl testing strips and hygiene kits.

The machine should be in place this summer.

"We had our GIS analyst in the health department conduct a geospatial analysis to look at where we have the highest numbers of fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the city, and so we kinda put those together and said we need these vending machines to be in areas where we have the highest incidents of opioid overdose, and we need to be responsive to what the community is saying it wants and needs," said Sarah Richardson of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

In order to access the vending machine, you will need a pin code that can be obtained through the Chicago Department of Public Health.