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Black Lives Matter Paterson has installed five free naloxone kiosks around the city, giving residents around-the-clock access to overdose-reversal medication without needing to visit a clinic or pharmacy.
The kiosks don’t provide treatment referrals or recovery services themselves, but they fill a gap that matters: anyone can grab a dose, day or night, no questions asked.
How the Free Naloxone Kiosks Work
Each kiosk can hold roughly 50 boxes of naloxone, often sold under the brand name Narcan, and the chapter has already seen kiosks emptied out within less than a week of restocking.
Community education and communications director Precious Kirby said the kiosks exist because the group’s two fixed harm reduction centers only operate Monday through Friday, while overdose risk doesn’t stop at certain hours. The chapter is now working on installing a sixth kiosk.
Naloxone Kiosks vs Harm Reduction Centers
It’s worth separating the two services. The kiosks are strictly self-serve naloxone access points, free and anonymous, with no staff interaction required.
The fixed harm reduction centers, by contrast, provide naloxone, sterile syringes, overdose prevention education and direct connections to addiction treatment and recovery services, but only during business hours.
For someone who needs treatment, not just a dose of naloxone, the centers, not the kiosks, are the starting point.
Where to Find Free or Low-Cost Treatment
Naloxone is emergency first aid, not addiction treatment. For people ready to pursue rehab, several no-cost and low-cost paths exist in New Jersey:
- Call SAMHSA’s free, confidential national helpline at 1-800-662-4357 to find treatment centers in your area
- Visit a local harm reduction center for naloxone, education, and a direct connection to treatment and recovery services
- Check whether your state Medicaid plan covers detox, inpatient, or outpatient rehab
- Visit one of more than 700 participating pharmacies statewide for free naloxone, available anonymously to anyone 14 or older.
Payment Options Explained
Does insurance cover rehab? For many New Jersey residents, yes. Medicaid rehab coverage generally includes medically necessary detox and treatment, and Medicare covers substance use disorder services under certain plans.
New Jersey’s Naloxone Direct program separately supplies free naloxone to community groups, libraries, shelters, recovery centers and first responders, a state-funded pipeline distinct from rehab coverage, but part of the same harm reduction infrastructure.
The numbers suggest the broader strategy is working. New Jersey recorded more than 2,900 overdose deaths in 2022, down about 300 from the year before, with declines across all racial and ethnic groups from 2022 to 2023 for the first time in a decade.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill has proposed maintaining funding for the state’s naloxone initiative, which should keep both the kiosks and pharmacy access in place going forward.
Rehabs.org lists a variety of free and low-cost treatment centers nationwide. Call
800-914-7089
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