Drug overdose deaths are a continuing national crisis and crippling West Virginia.
So at 2024’s Save a Life Day every state east of Mississippi and a few beyond, including sites here in Fayette and Raleigh counties handed out free naloxone to reverse overdoses.
“We have 32 states that are participating. It started with just West Virginia, but SOAR has grown this event to be the whole East Coast,” said Fayette County Health Department peer recovery support specialist Paula McCutcheon. “It’s pretty amazing; that means that people’s lives are being saved.”
McCutcheon says at Fayette County’s 2024 Safe a Life Day they had people stop by and local businesses decide they’re going to carry Narcan.
“We have Jobs and Hope here today. We have DCR (Day Report Center) participants, family treatment court participants, which I think shows change, show collaboration,” the peer recovery coach said. “It really takes us all and we’re all affected in some way.”
With the state of West Virginia overdose numbers consistently staggering. Narcan has helped change that. It meant everything to Lance Tate to be doing community outreach at Raleigh County’s Save a Life Day.
“We lost so many people to substance use disorder and overdose in the community, my mom was one of them. So this carries a massive weight on my family,” said Tate. “We come out here and do this independently with our children and other organizations. And we show people that if the changes you want to see are not being made, then you have to become the change.”
According to McCutcheon, it meant everything to have all the people they had there and willing to be out in the rain to help potentially connect someone to resources or train in naloxone and get naloxone into their hands.
“We had like 65 volunteers this year,” she said. “That shows that we’re making a difference, we’re ending stigma and we’re changing people’s minds.”
Mccutcheon says it was her life at one point and she never thought she would have almost six years in recovery. There are a lot of people hurting, but that can change.
“But they can’t change if they’re not breathing. And naloxone is one thing that can potentially save their life. Then they can be mom, and be dad and productive members of society — no matter how long or how much damage they’ve done — like, you’re worth it.”
FOR SUPPORT
SOAR WV: https://soarwv.org
FAYETTE COUNTY HEALTH DEPT: https://fayettehealth.org
FAYETTE PREVENTION COALITION https://www.facebook.com/FayettePreventionCoalition
VELTREX RECOVERY GROUP https://veltexrecoverygroup.com
