Vending

Missouri welcome centers add free naloxone dispensers along I-44

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September 4, 2026

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Free naloxone is now available from newspaper-style dispensing boxes at two Interstate 44 welcome centers in Conway, Missouri, according to a KSMU News report, giving travelers easy access to the medication used to reverse opioid overdoses. The boxes are part of the Rest Easy Naloxone Project, which began in May and has already distributed more than 430 boxes of naloxone. The dispensers also offer medication-destruction packets.

The program is designed to put naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, in places where people can obtain it quickly and at no cost. Derrick Wilson of APO Community Health Center said that while opioid-related deaths have begun to decline, overdoses and fatalities remain a serious concern. Organizers say naloxone can be useful in a range of situations, including accidental overdoses involving prescription medications as well as illicit drug use.

The initiative brings together the Missouri Department of Transportation, Webster County Health Unit, APO Community Health Center, Community Partnership of the Ozarks, Southwest Missouri Drug Poisoning Coalition, Missouri Hospital Association and The Naloxone Project. Christopher Roush, a battalion chief with the Springfield Fire Department, said he hopes similar naloxone dispensers eventually become available at every Missouri rest stop or welcome center.