GRCC students or community members who venture into the downtown Grand Rapids or Kent County area might notice small mailboxes marked with the word Naloxone, filled with narcan medication and free to all with the purpose of 24/7 access. Naloxone is a generic version of Narcan and is used to reverse the effects of opioids and restore breathing. Naloxone is most commonly used in the event of an overdose.
While seemingly random at first glance, these mailboxes are part of a larger project known as the Grand Rapids Red Project, organized by a group working to prevent the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C and while there isn’t an exact number, has since saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
The Red Project offers a guide on how to administer Naloxone during an emergency:
- Hold with thumb on the bottom of the plunger and your first and middle fingers on either side of the nozzle
- Insert the tip of the nozzle into a nostril until your fingers are against the bottom of the person’s nose, press the plunger firmly
The Collegiate reached out to find out what the organization represents and how it’s working to help the greater community.
Kayla Schmitz, Development & Communications Coordinator, shared the Red Project’s roots and how it first got started.
“We started in 1988 … to address the HIV epidemic here in Grand Rapids,” Schmitz said in a phone call interview with The Collegiate. “Then a few years later it was actually requested by previous city commissioner and former mayor, John Logie, that we start a syringe access program as well.”
Logie was in office as mayor from 1992 to 2003. In 1997, he began an initiative to address drug use and addiction as a public health issue. This initiative included the Mayor’s Drug Task Force on Drug Policy Reform and a needle exchange program, as Schmitz stated. Additionally, Logie was in favor of decriminalizing marijuana.
In addition to the founding of the program, Schmitz shared that the organization’s color-associated name is also meant to further bring attention to HIV awareness.
“The HIV ribbon is red. HIV awareness… is the color red, and because we initially started in 1998 to address the HIV epidemic, I think it probably made sense to my predecessors who started the Red Project,” Schmitz said.
The organization has physical offices in both Grand Rapids and Muskegon, and although it’s primarily based in the Kent County area, the Red Project works to serve everyone.
“We have a few mobile units who go out, both in Muskegon and GR, but we also go out to Baldwin, we go to White Cloud, we go to Allegan and we go to Holland as well,” Schmitz said. “So we try to bring as many of our services on our mobile unit to those spots as well, just do our best to cover as much of West Michigan as we can.”
The Red Project partners with the Kent County Health Department, which funds and has provided 100 Naloxone mailboxes. Currently there are around 50 mailboxes in total scattered around the Kent County area, including Lowell, Cedar Springs and Comstock Park. Schmitz shared that the need for mailboxes is great and remarked on the location limitations, but that placement is based on data.
“So… just Kent County, which is kind of unfortunate because we’ve actually been hearing from a lot of folks outside of the county that really want one, too,” Schmitz said. “We’ve really focused on placing the first 50 in areas from our own data that we know have higher rates of overdose…”
Schmitz also shared that the staff are entirely responsible for placing the medicine and each member restocks around two to three boxes weekly or whenever members are available to do so.
While it is the Red Project’s responsibility to place all of the mailboxes, keep them functional and clean, and stocked as needed, the organization also oversees which businesses are willing to host the mailboxes. The process of hosting is easy, and the organization does all of the necessary work.
“If somebody, like a business, were to come to us, like, ‘hey, I want to place one of your boxes.’ Schmitz said. “…We really prefer these to be outside, so that way there is that 24/7 access, in case of an emergency… and then we come, we deliver it, fill it with Naloxone and the rest of it is on us.”
Luke H., Customer Services Department, from the Grand Rapids Public Library shared the library’s support of the Red Project as well as its impact on overdose prevention in an email.
“The opioid epidemic is the leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, leading to over 100,000 deaths from accidental overdose each year. In Kent County alone this has led to over 100 deaths from accidental overdose per year,” H. stated. “Statistical modeling shows that high rates of naloxone distribution amongst community members and first responders could prevent 21% of opioid deaths.”
Becca Van Liere, Co-owner/ Marketing and Admin of Rise Bakery, stated in an email how the business is happy to host a Naloxone box.
“It’s always been important to us to play an active part in serving our community, and this is one way that we can do so tangibly,” Liere stated. “We’ve worked with the GR Red Project on fundraising efforts in the past, and we are so glad to continue our partnership by housing a Naloxone box outside of the bakery!”
H. further went on to share the GRPL’s own desire to stay involved with the health and wellbeing of the community.
“Due to the success of this partnership, we are now going to be expanding this access to all locations… GRPL sites will be added when finalized,” H. stated.
Although multiple businesses around Kent County were happy to support a community and its needs, The Rapid, the primary public bus system in the Grand Rapids area, claimed such advertisements would go against its policy and promote illicit drug usage.
“We were set up with The Rapid to get those on some of their panels on their buses, as advertising on their buses, and we were initially told, great, cool. And then we ended up finding out that they actually denied the design,” Schmitz said. She also shared she was doubtful that The Rapid will change their mind anytime soon, unless Red Project changes their design to something more basic.
Despite this setback, Schmitz has shared that the Red Project is still currently campaigning and working on boosting their social media content and presence. Additionally, the Red Project is involved in many local events and hopes to host more of its own in the future.
“Through Pride month and really all through the summer, we call it our event season because we are invited to come to all kinds of different events, mostly Pride events, based on a lot of our services,” Schmitz shared. “Also a lot of health fairs and things like that. We like to come to (those) as well. Talk about our services and give out Naloxone and condoms.”
While the organization is not currently hosting any events, the community can look forward to an upcoming trivia night located at Vivant Brewery on Aug. 4 at 5:30 p.m., and is free to all who want to participate.
Those who are interested are welcome and encouraged to reach out to the Red Project.
“Plug for our naloxone boxes, if there is anybody, any businesses, nonprofits, even GRCC or
something, who would want to host a box,” Schimitz said. “Have them reach out to me.”
For more information on events and news, sign up for the Red Project’s newsletter.
