Narcan Distribution Box Added At New Lenox Village Hall, 10 More Placed Around Will County

NEW LENOX, IL — The Will County Health Department continues its efforts to reduce opioid overdose deaths, making access to the life-saving, overdose-reversing drug Naloxone easier by placing more red Naloxone distribution boxes throughout the County.

Eleven additional red distribution boxes were recently added, bringing the total red distribution boxes in Will County to 29. The new red boxes geographically expanded the number of communities with easy access to Naloxone.

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In New Lenox, a distribution box can now be found at Village Hall, 1 Veterans Parkway. The other new locations include: Braidwood, Homer Glen, Joliet, Wilmington, Plainfield, Bolingbrook and Peotone.

“Making sure that we are reaching all of our communities in Will County is a high priority," said Dr. Kathleen Burke, Behavioral Health Community Coordinator for the Will County Health Department. "Besides the Naloxone Red Distribution Boxes, we are working with the public libraries that as of January 1 are required to keep naloxone on hand at all times. We also support our schools that are required to maintain a supply of Naloxone. In 2025 Will County reduced the number of opioid overdose deaths by 55%. Our strategy is working, and we are seeing results."

Naloxone is a medication designed to rapidly reverse an opioid overdose and is available through the Illinois Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution Program free of charge to all individuals in Will County. Naloxone binds to opioid receptors in the brain and can reverse and block the effects of opioids. It can begin working within minutes to restore breathing, consciousness, and save a life. Residents will see a change in product boxes as the Naloxone was switched to a generic brand, Padagis, provided by the State. The box looks different, but the product works the same.

Saved My Life, an Illinois non-profit, and the Illinois Comprehensive Health Protection Grant supported the cost of the 29 Will County Health Department’s distribution boxes.

Red distribution boxes can be found at the following new locations:

• New Lenox Village Hall (1 Veterans Parkway – New Lenox)
• Fossil Ridge Library (386 W. Kennedy Rd. – Braidwood)
• Braidwood City Hall (141 W. Main St. – Braidwood)
• Homer Township Public Library (14320 W 151st St. – Homer Glen)
• University of St. Francis Main Campus (500 Wilcox St. – Joliet)
• University of St. Francis St. Clare Campus (1550 Plainfield Road – Joliet)
• Wilmington Park District (315 N. Water St. – Wilmington)
• Wilmington Police Department (129 Robert P. Weidling Drive – Wilmington)
• Will County Health Department North Branch WIC Office (330 Quadrangle Dr. – Bolingbrook)
• Peotone Public Library (515 N. First St. – Peotone)
• Plainfield Police Department (14300 S. Coil Plus Drive – Plainfield)

Red distribution boxes can also be found at the following original locations in Will County.

• Lewis University Campus: Three distribution boxes (1 University Parkway – Romeoville)
• Recovery Community Center of Joliet (105 McDonough – Joliet)
• DuPage Township Food Pantry (719 Parkwood Dr. – Romeoville)
• Beecher Police Department (250 W. Church Rd. – Beecher)
• Provision Market Food Pantry (5430 W. Main St. – Monee)
• Northern Illinois Food Pantry (171 S. Larkin Ave. – Joliet)
• Frankfort Public Library District (21119 S. Pfeiffer Rd. – Frankfort)
• Will County Health Department Main Office (501 Ella Ave. – Joliet)
• Will County Community Health Center (1106 Neal Ave. – Joliet)
• Will County Health Department Northern Branch Office (323 Quadrangle Dr. – Bolingbrook)
• Will County Court House (100 W. Jefferson St – Joliet)
• Will County Office Building (302 N. Chicago St. – Joliet)
• Veterans Assistance Commission of Will County (1300 Copperfield Ave. Suite 200 – Joliet)
• White Oak Library District - Crest Hill Branch (20670 City Center Blvd. – Crest Hill)
• White Oak Library District - Lockport Branch (121 E. 8th St. – Lockport)
• White Oak Library District - Romeoville Branch (201 W. Normantown Rd. – Romeoville)

The goal of the distribution boxes is to make Naloxone more readily available to the public for emergency use. Over 65,000 boxes of Naloxone have been distributed to the public since 2020. Naloxone belongs in everybody’s first aid kit.

“We want the community to understand that many of the utilizers of these distribution boxes are people who are not using opioids, but they want to be able to assist in an emergency situation or perhaps they have a family member or friend who is struggling with a substance use disorder, and they want to be prepared,” said Burke. “I encourage everyone to keep Naloxone with you, in your home, and in first aid kits as it’s a life-saving medication to use in a rescue situation and minutes count in an overdose situation.”

Residents interested in obtaining Naloxone can visit one of the red distribution box locations or can email sui@willcountyhealth.org. Naloxone training is also offered through the Will County Health Department by emailing sui@willcountyhealth.org.