Otsego, Chenango Counties To Hold Free Naloxone Events
OTSEGO COUNTY—Otsego and Chenango counties will participate in the 2023 “Appalachian Save a Life Day” free naloxone event on Thursday, September 14. Naloxone, often sold under the name brand Narcan, is a medication that can safely reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The FDA approved it for over-the-counter use earlier this year, and many charities and community organizations distribute it for free. Save a Life Day is run by SOAR West Virginia and will feature events in all 13 states recognized as part of the Appalachian region by the Appalachian Regional Commission: West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Maryland and New York.
The Appalachian region has been particularly hard-hit by the opioid crisis, partly due to aggressive marketing tactics by the pharmaceutical industry in troubled rural communities that have suffered decades of exploitation and abandonment by the coal industry. Appalachian states lost over 40,000 people to the opioid epidemic in 2021, representing 38 percent of the nation’s deaths.
The theme for September 14 is “Partnering with People with Lived Experience.” Many sites won’t just be serving people who use drugs or who are in recovery, but working alongside them to ensure that naloxone gets into the hands of those who need it most.
Save a Life Day Coordinator Iris Sidikman said, “This day of action is about showing how Appalachia is also a place people can look to for solutions. We are a region rich in mutual aid. We’re a place where everyone has lost someone. And on September 14 and every other day, we are turning that pain into care, courage, and power.”
The Save a Life Day event in Otsego County will be located in Muller Plaza in downtown Oneonta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A Chenango County event will be held at the Turning Point, 24 East Main Street in Norwich, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All attendees will receive a Narcan kit upon completing a training video and learning more about opioid use. A region-wide map of events can be found at https://soarwv.org/appalachian-save-a-life-day-free-narcan-naloxone-sep-14th-2023/. Across the region, organizers plan to distribute more than 30,000 naloxone doses, 15,000 fentanyl test strips, 1,000 HIV tests and 30,000 anti-stigma stickers and pins. The resources will support a harm-reduction approach to combating the opioid crisis, reducing the risk of death or infection among current drug users and allowing them more time to seek treatment.
“We are really excited to be hosting a Save a Life Day in Otsego County,” said Abigail Mosenthin, public health educator at the Otsego County Department of Public Health. “Saving lives is an important part of our mission… we are working hard to make carrying Narcan and knowing how and when to use it a normal thing for the people in our community.”
SOAR WV is a community organization based in Charleston, West Virginia that promotes the health, dignity, and voices of individuals and communities who have been impacted by drug use. It distributes naloxone, runs aid and support meetings for people struggling with addiction, cleans up syringe litter, provides food and shelter to unhoused addicts, and publishes a zine (independent magazine) to highlight the lived experience of opioid victims. For more information, visit soarwv.org.