Free opioid overdose kits available in three Haywood locations
Metal boxes like these contain lifesaving help for opioid overdoses. Michele Rogers photo
Most people don’t realize that some accidental opioid overdoses are reversible with the quick administration of an opioid antagonist called naloxone, commonly found as a nasal spray and sold under the brand name of Narcan.
Narcan is safe, quick and easy to use — even by those with no training — and could give a person in distress good odds of surviving an overdose and a chance at recovery.
A local substance abuse awareness nonprofit, the SHARE Project, recently installed its third Overdose Aid Kit (OAK) in Haywood County. SHARE was started in late 2019 by two Haywood County moms, Lisa Falbo and Michele Rogers, after their sons Sam and Clay, respectively, died from overdoses.
The first OAK was installed about a year ago near the Friendship House at First United Methodist Church, in a parking lot off Haywood Street in Waynesville.
The second was installed four months ago in front of Pisgah Recovery Services, on South Main Street in Waynesville.
The newest OAK was just installed in front of the Behavioral Health Group office at 414 Hospital Drive, in Clyde.
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Each OAK, a large metal box, is stocked with a dozen boxes of free Narcan and fentanyl test strips, along with resources to help persons with substance abuse disorder find help treating and beating their addiction.
Narcan is sold over the counter in most major pharmacies but can cost $50 or more. It can be stored safely for several years according to the National Institutes of Health, but conventional usage strongly suggests that it remains safe and effective for long past the expiration date.
It’s also relatively harmless to people not using opioids, so in the event an overdose is suspected but not actually occurring, the administration of Narcan won’t harm a person otherwise in distress.
The goal of SHARE is to install more OAKs in more locations around the county. The group is still searching for sites — especially in the eastern end of the county.
Rogers said that SHARE has restocked the first two OAKs a few times, meaning the Narcan is making its way into the hands of people who might use it to save a life.
Additionally, every Waynesville Police Department patrol vehicle has Narcan.
In 2017, the General Assembly adopted the Strengthen Opioid Misuse Prevention (STOP) Act, which was vigorously championed by then-Western North Carolina Sen. Jim Davis (R-Macon) and current Attorney General Josh Stein. Among other things, the STOP Act authorized the distribution and application of opioid antagonists like Narcan by laypersons, also holding them immune from criminal or civil liability for doing so.
For more information on the SHARE Project, visit theshareproject.org.
