Wheeling will be part of Thursday’s national Save A Life Day events, which will distribute free naloxone to those who come past the site at 18th Street in Wheeling from noon-4 p.m.

This year, for the first time, all 50 states will participate in Save A Life Day, according to SOAR WV. Last year, 650 events across 35 states distributed more than 84,000 naloxone doses. Naloxone, which goes by brand names such as Narcan, is a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose if administered in time.

Save A Life Day actually originated in West Virginia, with a pilot program put together in 2020 in Kanawha and Putnam counties.

Overdose deaths have been on the decline over the past few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control, for a 12-month period ending in April 2021, there were 1,563 overdose deaths in the state of West Virginia.

For a 12-month period ending in April 2025, that number plummeted to 729.

There will be other services provided at 18th Street on top of naloxone distribution, including test strips, syringe services and HIV testing.

The event is sponsored by the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, the Ohio County Family Resource Network, Youth Services System, Inc. and the AIDS Task Force of the Upper Ohio Valley.