CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — More than 150 volunteers will be handing out opioid overdose antidotes in two West Virginia counties on Wednesday.
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resource is supporting the “Save A Life Day” event, where 1,000 naloxone kits will be distributed in more than a dozen locations across Putnam and Kanawha county.
Naloxone is sold under the name Narcan and according to the health department, the drug “is a powerful and proven antidote for reversing opioid overdoses.”
The agency said three out of four fatal overdoses in 2019 involved an opioid and this year the numbers are reportedly increasing.
Tina Ramirez is the executive director of Marshall University’s Great Rivers System for Addiction Care. She told the Charleston Gazette-Mail that people should think of naloxone as just another tool in the first aid kit.
Harm reduction programs are places where people could get and learn about naloxone. But Ramirez said some of those programs “have taken a step back in recent months” due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What we’re seeing, though, is the supply of naloxone has been there, it’s just a matter of getting it into the hands of the people,” Ramirez said.
Besides the distribution of naloxone, the “Save A Life” event also will have peer recovery coaches and counselors available to discuss addiction with attendees.
Distribution centers will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
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