San Diego County is installing a dozen vending machines around the region that dispense naloxone, a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, for free.
The Union Tribune says the first machine is expected to be set up at McAlister Institute South Bay Regional Recovery Center in Chula Vista.
Five more are scheduled to be installed in other locations by the end of 2022.
Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, will be found inside the machines in nasal spray devices.
If administered quickly to a person suffering from an overdose, the medication can restore normal breathing and prevent death.
The vending machines are part of a larger countywide effort to make 33,000 Narcan kits available by June 30, 2023.
County data show that 900 people in the region died from accidental opioid overdoses in 2021, a 55 percent increase from the previous year.