Knoxville’s overdose response is expanding beyond traditional clinics and pharmacies, with free naloxone now available from a public vending machine outside a local recovery center. The setup is designed to remove two stubborn barriers at once: cost and the discomfort of asking for help. Officials say the machine is available around the clock, putting overdose-reversal medication within reach when emergencies do not keep business hours.
The effort follows a 2023 rollout of a naloxone vending machine near the Knox County Jail, where officials said free doses would be available 24 hours a day, according to WBIR. On June 26, the Metro Drug Coalition unveiled another machine outside the Gateway Recovery Community Center, extending the strategy into a community recovery hub.
Gateway machine targets Knoxville’s overdose hot spot
The Gateway machine is located at 530 W. Fifth Avenue and dispenses naloxone at no cost, with no questions asked. The machine holds 200 boxes, each containing two doses, and organizers plan to check its inventory daily, according to WATE.
The location was chosen for more than convenience. Metro Drug Coalition Executive Director Webster Bailey told WATE that most overdoses in Knox County occur in the machine’s ZIP code, making the recovery center’s patio a particularly targeted place to put the medication…