Organizations passing out naloxone Thursday for ‘Save a Life Day’

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — The state labeled ground zero for the opioid epidemic has also founded a now-national effort to help those affected.

Save a Life Day started in West Virginia in 2020, and in just five years, it’s grown nationwide. This year, all 50 states will be participating on Sept. 25.

Sites all around the Mountain State will be giving out naloxone, the life-saving drug used for those suffering from a drug overdose.

The West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute is one of the organizations participating on Thursday. They provided naloxone kits for sites to distribute.

The kits include the life-saving dose, as well as a short video with instructions on how to administer it. Protective equipment like gloves and masks is also inside.

WV Drug Intervention Institute President Susan Margaret Murphy says she views naloxone as a household item, no different from a fire extinguisher or a first aid kit. The toolkit is there simply for emergencies, but when you need it, you have it.

With overdose deaths down in West Virginia, they say it’s more important than ever to get some on your hands. That way, the numbers continue to stay down.

“This is a really important day to bring awareness not just to preventing or reversing overdoses, but to really engage in a conversation about how we can continue to see the numbers of overdoses go down across the country by building a community of first responders,” Murphy said.

And for those who have already been carriers, Murphy says it’s always good to be reminded of how to administer.

“They may have already been trained on naloxone,” she said. “But this is a refresher, and I think any time you can share more information and refresh people’s memories about what to do, the more likely they are to respond.”

In addition to Naloxone doses, Save a Life Day also provides recovery resources for those who need them and works with local health centers to promote community safety.

To see a full list of participating organizations and sites for 2025 Save a Life Day, visit SOAR WV’s website here.