On September 1, 2021, 17 West Virginia Counties are banding together to host the largest day of free naloxone distribution in the state.
West Virginia lost 1,349 family members to fatal overdoses last year, which was the first year the state lost an average of three residents a day. Seventeen counties will host free naloxone booths across 74 locations, including churches, clinics, colleges, gas stations, parks, supermarkets, and even a pet shop. Participants in Ohio and Wetzel Counties will receive one Narcan kit (2 doses), education, medication disposal bags, resources, and more.
Participating counties include the following: Kanawha, Cabell, Berkeley, Monongalia, Logan, Mercer, Ohio, Harrison, Wayne, Marion, McDowell, Jefferson, Putnam, Boone, Wyoming, Morgan, & Wetzel. Together, these counties accounted for two-thirds of the state’s fatal drug overdoses in 2020. Organizers plan to distribute over 4,000 naloxone kits (or over 8,000 doses) throughout the day. Each of the 74 locations is made possible by local volunteers who attended training to be able to participate. There are more than 50 volunteers among the four sites in the Northern Panhandle.
Family members, friends of people who take opioids for pain, friends of people who use drugs, and anyone who wants to save a life are welcome to get trained on September 1, 2021, from 12-6 pm at any of the three Wheeling locations or the New Martinsville site. Ohio County Family Resource Network is serving as the lead contact for Save a Life Day in Ohio County, with Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, Youth Services System Prevention Department, and The Unity Center serving as key partners and site leaders for the event. All sites are drive-thrus, and masks are encouraged during face-to-face contact.
Locations in Ohio County include:
18th Street near Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center in East Wheeling
The Unity Center 4850 Eoff Street
Wheeling Island Hotel Casino Racetrack.
The Wetzel County site is co-lead by Youth Services System and Dawnita Springer Matthews of Take Action.
“Take Action is honored to co-host Save A Life Day. We have a wonderful recovery community and each and every success story brings a wave of hope for the future,” Springer Matthew’s said. The New Martinsville site will be on the campus of West Virginia Northern Community College.
Many people know naloxone as its brand name, Narcan. Narcan is an easy-to-use nasal spray with no adverse side effects that works to reverse opioid overdoses. This year is the 50th anniversary of naloxone’s FDA approval. Most of the naloxone for Save a Life Day will be provided by the WV Office of Drug Control Policy.
“Naloxone saves lives. We are fortunate to have Narcan nasal spray supplied to us for this event since it is easy to use and requires no assembly. Everyone is important to someone, and whether an opioid overdose is a child who accidentally ingests pills, a grandmother with memory lapses who took too much pain medicine, or a neighbor with substance use disorder, these lives are worth saving,” said Ohio County Family Resource Network Executive Director Claudia Raymer. Naloxone is available without a prescription at pharmacies in West Virginia with little or no co-pay.
“One of the highest risk groups for experiencing an overdose includes those who are in the recovery community. We know that although setbacks can and do happen, we feel strongly that nobody should have to die of an opioid overdose when Narcan is widely available and safe to use. Narcan opens the door to give people an opportunity to seek treatment and take steps toward recovery,” said The Unity Center board member, Susan Hagan. Over the past few years, states including Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey have organized their own statewide Free Naloxone Days. Kanawha and Putnam Counties in West Virginia launched the first pilot Save a Life Day in the fall of 2020. The idea struck a chord in the mountain state, and West Virginia’s mass distribution is expected to be the largest statewide effort in the nation.
