photo by: Emma Delk

Site leaders who serve the counties of Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel gathered at the YSS building on Tuesday to prepare bags that will be distributed Sept. 14 during “Appalachian Save a Life Day.”

WHEELING — To prepare the more than 400 doses of Narcan that will be distributed across the Ohio Valley during the first ever “Appalachian Save a Life Day,” site leaders gathered at Youth Services System’s 18th Street building Tuesday to stuff bags before the event.

Attendees of Thursday’s “Appalachian Save a Life Day” will not only receive a Narcan kit but also in-person training on how to use it, along with information about local resources.

During the bag stuffing on Tuesday, site leaders were hard at work distributing the kits into more than 200 bags they will hand out during Thursday’s event. Claudia Raymer, executive director of the Ohio County Family Resource Network, emphasized that carrying out the event took a “community effort,” as site leaders gathered from across the state to serve the counties of Brooke, Hancock, Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel.

“For those that are experiencing substance use disorder, Narcan reverses overdoses in many cases,” said Raymer. “We want to give people the chance for recovery and care from their loved ones.”

To administer the medicine, Raymer explained that Narcan works “just like a flu nasal spray or any other nasal spray.” She emphasized that the ease with which they can be administered helps save lives, as the “very key” to helping combat an overdose is administering the Narcan “as soon as possible” before calling 911.

“We know there’s fentanyl and a lot of the drugs where they’re likely going to need medical attention and an IV drip,” added Raymer. “So those two doses of Narcan in each kit will usually be enough in the timeframe it takes for EMS to get on scene.”

Raymer explained that the event serves the dual purpose of not only saving lives but also “reducing the stigma” around substances, as the bags also include magnets and pins that support and promote recovery.

Youth Service System’s Intervention and Peer Support Specialist, Lauren Kotz, echoed this sentiment, explaining that anyone can come on Thursday and pick up a bag.

“It’s not just homeless addicts that you see on the streets overdosing,” said Kotz. “It ‘s important that everyone knows how to handle an overdose situation because it literally can happen to anyone.”

The bags handed out on Sept. 14 will “not only be distributed to people experiencing addiction,” added Kotz, but also to those affected by addiction, including “parents, neighbors, brothers, sisters, or coworkers.”

“You might be walking down the street and, unfortunately, experience someone overdosing, which means you’re the first responder at that point,” said Kotz. “It’s important to get Narcan into as many hands as possible because you never know when you’ll need it.”

Kotz added that a lot of the peers that will be at the distribution locations have been through drug addiction themselves, making them able to “humanize addicts’ circumstances.”

She explained that the distribution center in Wheeling at 18th Street near Catholic Charities Neighborhood Center is deemed a “safe place” for those experiencing addiction, encouraging more participants to come to the location as they feel “comfortable there.”

“If we held these at the courthouse, for example, addicts wouldn’t feel comfortable walking through those metal detectors and having that feeling they are doing something wrong,” added Dotz. “We try to make these distribution spots places where people feel comfortable, and we can de-stigmatize what addiction is and what it looks like for other people.”

As someone in recovery from drug addiction, Dotz stressed the importance of events like “Appalachian Save a Life Day” and their ability to connect people experiencing addiction to the “freedom” that those in recovery experience.

“I had a great support system when I was new into recovery, and I knew I needed to continue sharing that with others,” said Dotz. “The beautiful thing is I see those folks getting sober and clean, which makes it all worth it.”

The positive result of Narcan distribution events have already begun to reflect in data from the Wheeling Police Department, added Dotz. She said they have been told by the Wheeling Police Department that “almost every single time” there’s an overdose call, by the time the police arrive, the person who overdosed has already been subjected to Narcan to revive them.

“There’s a lot of stigma and backlash you’re always gonna see when you talk about harm reduction,” said Raymer. “As a society, we praise people in recovery, but you have to be alive to get to recovery.

“This event is about giving people the opportunity to take a path to recovery, and harm reduction is a path to recovery.”