MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Thursday was Save a Life Day across the Mountain State and 12 other Appalachian states.
Drug prevention and recovery organizations distributed Naloxone (commonly known as Narcan) and taught folks how to use it. The nasal spray is used to reverse the effects of opioids.
Stephanie Stout is the Region 2 Drug Control Coordinator. She says at their locations in the Eastern Panhandle Thursday, her representatives handed out 300 units of Naloxone.
She says you never know when you’ll be in a position to help:
Stout, who herself is in long-term recovery, says it isn’t just someone in active addiction who might need emergency overdose reversal:
Stout, who has worked in recovery resources and peer recovery in Berkeley County in years past, says knowing how to use Narcan is a way to help, even if you hope to never need to use it:
According to an article in Metronews, more than 300 free Naloxone distribution sites were expected to be set up throughout West Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi and all of the other states in the Appalachian region for the event.