Oak House to Place 66 ONEbox® Overdose Response Systems Across Ottawa County and Northwest Ohio

Pilot adds automatic bilingual video instructions and on-demand naloxone training in recovery houses, restaurants, a library, and other high-traffic community settings.

PORT CLINTON, Ohio, September 22nd, 2026: The Northern Ohio nonprofit organization Oak House will launch a 66-unit ONEbox® Classic pilot Sept. 1, placing video-guided public access naloxone systems across Ottawa County, with additional units in Huron, Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot counties. The systems are designed as an “AED for overdose” and will go in high-traffic settings and places where overdoses are most likely to occur, including recovery houses, local restaurants and a library across from the jail.

The Ohio Department of Health’s 2023 Unintentional Drug Overdose Report recorded six unintentional drug overdose deaths among Ottawa County residents in 2023 and an average age-adjusted county rate of 33.9 deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2023. A meta-analysis found that when a bystander administers naloxone, the odds of surviving an overdose are more than eight times higher than without it (Giglio, Li & DiMaggio, Injury Epidemiology, 2015). Placement matters because a bystander must be able to reach the medication, call 911 and act while emergency medical services are on the way.

“Overdose response has to be close enough and clear enough for any bystander to use in the first critical moments,” said April Fenton, Director of Oak House. “We’re putting these systems in the places people already know and use because a year from now, we want naloxone access to feel like a normal part of community safety across our region. It could be a toddler who found a pill, a friend whose drink was spiked, or someone who mixed up medications. Naloxone is for ANYONE because accidents don't discriminate!”

As the nation’s AED for overdose, ONEbox differs from a naloxone cabinet or lockbox because the response guidance begins when the unit is opened. A five-inch screen automatically plays a one-minute emergency video in English and Spanish, and a separate five-minute training mode lets staff and community members prepare before an emergency. A QR code links to the same instructions on a smartphone as a backup. In a suspected opioid overdose, a bystander should call 911, give naloxone (known often by the brand name of Narcan®), and stay to support as naloxone does not replace emergency medical care.

The 66-unit pilot is scheduled to begin Sept. 1, with most ONEbox systems in Ottawa County and smaller numbers in Huron, Seneca, Sandusky and Wyandot counties. Rapid Risk Reduction (R3) is supplying the ONEbox systems and supporting Oak House as a project partner. The project is supported by the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department through an Ohio Department of Health grant, with Toledo-Lucas County Health Department supplying the naloxone Oak House will stock. Residents can contact Oak House to ask about public unit locations and the pilot.

“The good folk at Oak House know their communities and the places where a bystander is most likely to need clear overdose response guidance,” said Taylor Golden, Chief Research and Development Officer at Rapid Risk Reduction (R3). “Our role is to help turn that local knowledge into enduring overdose response infrastructure that people can use while emergency services are on the way.”

About Oak House Oak House is a nonprofit organization in Port Clinton whose mission is to be “Stronger Together.” It assists adults in Huron, Seneca, Ottawa, Sandusky and Wyandot counties who are living with or recovering from mental health challenges, chronic mental illness and substance use disorders. Through community, peer support, skill building and social connection, Oak House helps members self-advocate, foster belonging and strengthen their connection to the community. Learn more about Oak House at oakhousepc.org

About ONEbox® and Rapid Risk Reduction (R3) ONEbox® is a video-guided overdose response system that turns passive naloxone storage into an active tool for bystander intervention. Bilingual (English and Spanish) video instructions play automatically the moment the box is opened, a built-in training mode teaches anyone to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and respond, and QR-enabled reporting helps sites track restocking and use. ONEbox® makes public access naloxone usable by anyone, anywhere people gather, from workplaces and schools to libraries, transit hubs, and government buildings. ONEbox® is manufactured by our team in Huntington, West Virginia, and has been deployed with leading institutions including Duke University, Stanford University, Clemson University, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and the State of West Virginia. Rapid Risk Reduction (R3) builds connective, responsive risk reduction infrastructure for communities working toward zero fatal overdoses. Learn more at oneboxready.com

Media Contacts For Oak House: April Fenton, Director of Oak House | director@oakhouse-pc.org | (419) 734-4417 | oakhousepc.org

For ONEbox® purchasing inquiries: Christian Cox, Safety Specialist, Rapid Risk Reduction (R3) | christian@rthree.io | (304) 961-0083 | oneboxready.com

For free consultation on overdose response strategy: Taylor Golden, Chief Research and Development Officer | Rapid Risk Reduction (R3) | taylor@rthree.io | oneboxready.com