Avivo rolls out naloxone “grab boxes” to save lives in an emergency

Naloxone “grab boxes” are being distributed across Avivo’s campus and to other key locations in Minneapolis

Avivo is rolling out naloxone “grab boxes,” meant to save lives in an emergency. Grab boxes are being distributed across Avivo’s campus and to other key locations in Minneapolis, funded by a micro-grant through the Minnesota Department of Health. Other local organizations are rolling out similar programs as well, and the City of Minneapolis has installed three Naloxone “vending machines.”

Naloxone, commonly known by the brand name Narcan, is a fast-acting counter to the effects of an opioid overdose. Opioids bind to receptors in the brain, which can lead to respiratory depression and overdose. Naloxone saves lives by binding to those same receptors displacing opioids and reversing their impact.

Naloxone boxes Avivo is setting up are sealed with an easily breakable red zip-tie. Once the zip-tie is broken, the user can open the box to find naloxone nasal spray that can be easily administered by anyone. Like fire extinguishers strategically placed within buildings to respond to emergencies, naloxone grab boxes are available within each Avivo campus building. Additionally, they are placed on surrounding streetlight poles available to anyone in the area- day or night.

“It’s very easy to administer,” says John Tribbett, Service Area Director of Ending Homelessness & Emergency Services at Avivo. “One of the great things about Naloxone is that if someone doesn’t need it and it’s administered to them, it doesn’t harm them. If they need it – it can save their life.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Hennepin County saw 1,475 opioid overdoses in 2024. In fact, Hennepin County has had the highest overdose rate in the state since at least 2020, when the DPS began collecting data.

“We continue to be in the midst of an opioid and general drug epidemic in our country, and in Minnesota some of the highest impacts are within the metro area,” Tribbett says.

Tribbett says there can never be too much access to naloxone. The more places it becomes accessible, the more people can use it to save lives.

“Substance use disorder does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you’re using your substance in a $2 million mansion in the suburbs or if you’re using it on the streets in South Minneapolis,” Tribbett says. “Human beings are human beings, and human beings can overdose and die in all those locations.”

data from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Monthly Fatal Drug Overdose Snapshot monitoring report finds a 9% increase in overdose deaths throughout Minnesota compared to the same period last year. This data finds 84 suspected overdose deaths in October 2025 compared to 55 in October 2024.

Tribbett is concerned about the implications of this uptick after a period of reduced deaths and underscores the importance of keeping people alive.

“Naloxone, coupled with overdose reversal education, works,” shares Tribbett.

A Massachusetts study comparing low to high rates of Opioid Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND) strategies demonstrated 27% and 46% reductions in opioid overdose mortality rates in areas with high implementation.

“If a person experiencing substance use disorder dies, they don’t get an opportunity to recover,” Tribbett says. “First and foremost, we have to ensure that people survive.”

Avivo trains and equips all its staff with Naloxone, even those who don’t work directly with program participants. Tribbett believes this is why workers at the Avivo Village have been able to reverse over 240 overdoses since its opening.

Avivo is opening an Avivo Village emergency shelter in St. Cloud, an area that is experiencing the impacts of the opioid crisis, as well. Tribbett is hopeful these increased initiatives to respond to overdose deaths will encourage people to use naloxone to save people’s lives, regardless of the location.

“We do believe that one of the reasons why we’ve seen a substantial decrease in overdose deaths in recent years is because of the availability of Naloxone throughout the community,” Tribbett says.

Tribbett is excited to see organizations like NACC and others also setting up easy access to life-saving Naloxone. He shares that a city-wide and region-wide effort are critical to effectively confront the opioid crisis, prevent overdose deaths, and work to support individuals in finding healthcare, housing, and well-being.

“Every single human being in our community is worthy of respect and dignity. It’s our obligation as a community to look out for one another, wherever we are, whoever we are,” Tribbett says. “And that starts with something very basic. We need to keep one another alive.”

If you’d like to support Avivo’s efforts to reduce overdose deaths and to help those living with a substance use disorder to find recovery, you can donate here or subscribe to our mailing list here.