The Startling Reason for Red Boxes on Hudson Valley Rail Trails

I thought I saw a new bird house on a recent walk in the Hudson Valley. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between official government business and a local art project. With little libraries and even hilariously-defaced road signs popping up all across the Hudson Valley, I wasn't surprised when I saw little red boxes on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail.

Red Boxes on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail

What I thought was a cute structure meant to hold free books or shelter birds actually turned out to be a much more serious community outreach attempt. While they started appearing in Ulster County towns in 2022, they have now spread to local walking trails.

Opioid Overdose Response Kits in Wallkill, NY

The small red structures are O.R.A.C.L.E. boxes. O.R.A.C.L.E. stands for Opioid Response As County Law Enforcement, and while the acronym may be clunky, what's inside the boxes could save a life.

Narcan Available in the Hudson Valley

Inside each box is a dose of Naloxone, also known as Narcan, which is meant to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Since 2006, it has been legal for good Samaritans to administer Narcan in New York if they believe someone is experiencing an overdose.

While these kits may seem new to some residents (including myself), reports of local towns exploring the use of Narcan kits in public buildings (and now local trails) dates back several years. Towns like Wallkill have also offered Narcan training in the past.

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The O.R.A.C.L.E. boxes on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail were installed with the endorsement of the Ulster County Sherriff's Department. Narcan is also available at many local pharmacies, often free of charge. Learn more here.