The Monongalia County Quick Response Team, in collaboration with WELLWVU, will distribute free naloxone and instructions on how to use it, as well as fentanyl test strips from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. today (March 5) in the Mountainlair.
“This is around the time college students will be getting ready for spring break and we want to get naloxone into their hands before they leave town,” said Brittany Irick, coordinator of the Quick Response Team.
Naloxone is a nose spray that can be administered quickly and easily to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, giving emergency services time to reach the individual and provide additional care, and if needed, transportation to the hospital.
Fentanyl test strips are small strips of paper that can be used to detect the presence of fentanyl in different kinds of drugs to help prevent drug overdoses.
“This has been a pretty successful event in the past, and it’s not just for people who use drugs,” Irick said. “It’s also a good resource for family members of individuals with substance use disorder and college kids, parents and pretty much anyone.”
Monongalia County has been hosting naloxone giveaway events since 2021. A mini Free Naloxone Day is tentatively scheduled for April 18, and the Quick Response Team will participate in the statewide Free Naloxone Day on Sept. 26.
For up-to-date information on health and wellness in Monongalia County, visit monchd.org and follow the health department @WVMCHD on Facebook and X, and #wvmchd on Instagram.
For questions, contact Courtney Weaver, director of WELLWVU, at courtney.weaver@mail.wvu.edu.