Judge ordered a Macon motel to keep Narcan on hand to cut overdoses. Did it work?
Residents at a Macon motel have struggled to access an overdose reversal medicine two years after a court order tried to rectify the problem.
Judge Connie Williford ordered Macon Inn on Riverside Drive to carry at least 10 doses of naloxone, also known by its brand-name Narcan, after an overwhelming amount of deaths from overdoses previously at the site in 2022, according to court documents. The order was issued after Macon-Bibb County sued the inn over the issue.
But even after the order was enacted, the motel didn't initially keep enough of the product . Years after the order, obstacles make it difficult to access the Narcan, and it's unclear how many doses the inn carries. The office door for the inn was locked when reporters visited on Sept. 11. A sign visible through the office window said, "Opioid overdose emergency kits. Naloxone."
Recorded overdoses now less common at Macon Inn
Homer Jones, a security guard at the inn, wasn't sure how many doses they carried or if their shelf life expired. He did not open the office door or show whether there was any Narcan behind the counter. He also said the inn has never used or distributed the Narcan. Yet there were instances when the inn ran low on doses.
"We really haven't used it. We haven't had anybody deal with overdose," Jones told The Telegraph.
In the years since the judge's order was issued, public safety data indicates that's true: no confirmed overdoses have occurred at the location since 2021, the Bibb County Sheriff's Office said, though there is no clear connection between the judge's Narcan order and the decline in overdoses at the inn. Causes of death may also be inconclusive until an autopsy is performed. The Georgia Department of Public Health did not disclose more comprehensive data regarding how many overdoses have occurred at Macon Inn.
When reporters visited Macon Inn again on Sept. 20, Rocky Patel, owner of the inn, said the office is open 24/7. He showed they had several Narcan boxes, but said there was "not a single utilization" since he became owner in 2022. He also claimed there have been no overdoses since then.
However, the Macon-Bibb County Fire Department and Coroner Leon Jones said drug use at the inn is still an issue.
Assistant Fire Chief Reco Stephens said it can be difficult to tell if first responders are dealing with an overdose when they show up to a medical incident — most people don't say whether they took Narcan before first responders arrive to avoid potential consequences for use or possession of drugs.
"The person, if they did administer it, they're not going to wait around or disclose the information for fear of being in trouble if they were part of it," Stephens said.
Initial 911 reports usually don't classify incidents as overdoses because medical tests would need to prove this. But certain signs usually indicate an overdose, such as an unresponsive person, Stephens explained.
"Most times, people call 911 with difficulty breathing and chest pain when they probably had some type of recreational drug," Stephens told The Telegraph.
Medical tests afterward can detect if drugs were ingested and if Narcan was used.
The motel office is about 50 to 100 feet away from the housing units. This can be too far to walk and retrieve the Narcan during an overdose, even if the office door is open.
"When you're down, you might not be able to grab it and administer it if someone isn't around," Stephens said.
How is the judge's order enforced?
While motel staff and ownership say overdose issues have been sorted out, local officials have still observed issues at the inn.
The Bibb County Department of Code Enforcement inspected the location in July 2023, and found two doses of Narcan missing. There were also no instructions on how to use the medicine posted anywhere at the inn, according to a nuisance inspection form.
This was the most recent inspection of the property, according to the county's attorney in the case, Michael McNiell.
The sheriff's office does not monitor whether the inn is in compliance with the judge's order.
Deputies respond to overdoses when they're called in, but not to proactively check if the inn has followed the judge's order to carry at least 10 doses of Narcan, Sgt. Christopher Williams said in an email.
"When we respond to overdoses, deputies respond to the scene, who then contact an investigator," Williams said. "The investigator who responds gathers evidence pertaining to the investigation. The coroner determines and notifies that if the cause of death is an overdose. Investigators proceed from there with their investigation."
This is usually the protocol in any case.
Deputies would not agree to be interviewed further for this story.
The court order did not specify if or how the situation should be monitored, or whether repercussions would occur if the motel did not carry Narcan. A judge would typically need to specify this information to enforce the order.
Where does Macon Inn get its Narcan?
Macon Recovers, an addiction prevention and support center with River Edge Behavioral Health, donated Narcan to the inn until a few months ago.
Hannah Baker, supervisor of the center, said the donations were unrelated to the court order.
"(Macon Inn) asked for us to come out and get some Narcan, so we did. I don't know anything about a judge's order... we weren't privy to that," Baker said.
The inn must request more Narcan as needed, she explained.
"We gave them the information so they could order it themselves if they wanted to," Baker said. "We left that up to them, so they were free to reach back out to us and get it, or they could make arrangements to get it on their own, so I'm not sure what happened there."
Macon Recovers , the department of public health and Georgia Overdose Prevention give free Narcan to anyone who requests it. Narcan costs about $45 at CVS, Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Walmart and other retailers.
The last time Patel requested Narcan from Macon Recovers was about four to five months ago, he said.
"We took care of everything with the county the legal way," Patel said.
Overdoses rise in Middle Georgia
Overdose deaths increased in Bibb County between 2022 and 2023, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The age-adjusted overdose death rate, which factors in population size, in Bibb was 22.7 in 2022 and 28.2 in 2023, public health analytic reports show. The county had 32 total overdoses in 2022 and 41 in 2023.
Jones County had the greatest overdose death rate in 2022 and 2023 out of all counties in the North Central Health District, which is made up of 13 counties. From most to least, Houston, Bibb and Peach counties had the next greatest rates.
A recent drop in U.S. overdose deaths could be connected to an increase in Narcan availability, NPR reported.
A recent law in Georgia requires increased access to the medicine. All government buildings, court houses and school property are required to carry naloxone as of July 1, according to Senate Bill 395, or Wesley's Law.
