SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Knowing how to administer the drug Naloxone for those experiencing a heroin overdose should be just as important as knowing how to perform CPR, according to South Charleston resident Melissa Marshall.
“It’s an accident. I don’t think these people want to intentionally overdose,” said Marshall who attended a free Naloxone training session Monday night hosted by the Kanawha-Charleston and Putnam County Health Departments.
Naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, reverses the effects of opioids. It is used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency situation.
“You don’t know where you may be and may need this. It doesn’t have to be on a shady corner in Charleston. It could be at the mall. It could be at the shelter when we volunteer at the shelter,” Marshall said. “Sometimes people have a misconception of where you may be using this.”
Monday’s training was held at the St. Paul United Methodist Church on the Kanawha Boulevard in South Charleston. Those who completed the session received an EVZIO auto-injector kit.
Lindsay Acree, assistant professor with the University of Charleston School of Pharmacy, led the one-hour training session.
“They’re learning how to recognize an overdose,” she said. “Knowing how to use the medication, how to help someone even if you don’t have the medication, you can save a life just going to the grocery store.”
Both health departments have held about a dozen free training sessions since earlier this year, according to employees.
“We’ve had patients that have actually used it (Narcan) and have saved their friend or family member, so it’s working,” Acree said.
“If I can be the one to help administer and bring them back, even if it doesn’t get them on the road to recovery, it can give them a new start,” Marshall said.