Thousands of Narcan doses stolen from health stations across Oakland County

OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - Thousands of doses of naloxone - commonly known as Narcan - have been taken from dozens of save a life stations across Oakland County.

These are places where people can go to maybe keep someone whose overdosing from dying.

The backstory:

There are 104 Save A Life stations throughout Oakland County. Just last year, opioid overdose deaths were down 38.6 percent.

The doses are free but the estimates 7,000 doses were taken in a coordinated effort.

"The one thing that was consistent, was all the narcan in all 38 of those stations was taken," said Steve Norris. "Completely wiped out."

All 38 Save A Life stations across Oakland County were cleared of naloxone you probably  know it by the brand name Narcan, used to reverse opioid overdoses.

"I try not to get too wrapped up in the why and who," Norris said. "We want to see what the evidence is behind it."

Already possibilities to explain why these stations from Groveland to Holly all the way to Royal Oak and Farmington Hills were targeted.

"They’re going to take it and sell it," said Norris, Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities. "It really holds no value on the black market."

Naloxone doesn’t get you high.

"It has no affect on you whatsoever," he said.

It happened a few weeks back and since then they’ve restocked - because people in crises need them.

"If somebody doesn’t have direct access to that when they need it, people’s lives are at stake," Norris said. "Perhaps somebody needed it for another organization outside of the county or another area. And if that’s the case, we want them to know we got you. Come call us, send me an email. We’ll give you as much as you need for your community."

The alliance of coalitions for healthy communities stocks these locations… the cost could be hundreds of thousands dollars lost, and time, to keep this operation going.

"We’re a small non-profit with a limited amount of people doing this tedious work everyday," he said.

Some of these doses were taken from places with surveillance like the sheriff's office. But most of these spots have no surveillance by design, where people can just take what they need.