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In the few years that Monongalia County Health Department's Jacob Workman has helped distribute Narcan at Save a Life Day events, he has seen individuals return to refill their supply of the medication that reverses an opioid overdose.
"There was one story about a person who talked about how they had to use Narcan that they specifically got from us on an individual, and they wouldn't necessarily have had that Narcan if not for Save a Life Day," said Workman, the data improvement coordinator for the Monongalia County Quick Response Team (QRT) and a staff member of MCHD Threat Preparedness.
At each event in the past few years, members and volunteers have handed out nearly 2,000 two-dose kits to the community -- 1,867 in 2023; 1,687 in 2024 and 1,965 in 2025. At this year's Save a Life Day, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday at various locations (with some sites open for fewer hours), there will be 2,000 kits to hand out, even though QRT members are wondering if Monongalia County has reached a saturation point.
"It's hard to say given what the trends are, but we want to be prepared to hit that mark if the opportunity presents itself and the need is there," Workman said.
Save a Life Day began in September 2020, organized by Charleston-based SOAR WV in response to the opioid epidemic that hit Appalachia hard.
A year later, the Monongalia County QRT, created and funded through grants obtained by Monongalia County Health Department, distributed around 700 kits at 11 locations. The event that began in West Virginia has since gone nationwide, and this year, according to information on SOAR WV's website, there are 1,044+ Save a Life Day events around the United States.
In the five years since it began in Monongalia County, QRT members have watched as community members have gone from not knowing much about Narcan, a brand name for naloxone, to returning to events, including smaller ones held in the spring, to refill their supplies.
"It's clear that we've done a pretty good job of saturating the community with naloxone," said Joe Klass of MCHD Threat Preparedness. "At recent events, most people say they have it and they are simply stopping by to get a refill or because theirs is expired."
Although both Klass and QRT coordinator Brittany Irick noted that expired naloxone is better than nothing and is still effective.
"It's perfectly fine and safe to use expired naloxone if that's all you have," Irick said.
Naloxone distribution includes training on how to administer it if needed, but it's very easy to use, requiring just a squirt into one nostril.
"Most people now have been trained on it before, and they would like a little refresher," Klass said.
Members have also seen perceptions change and the stigma surrounding substance use disorder improving.
"Most people seem to have an understanding that naloxone gets someone breathing again after an overdose, and that this is something that public health and health care should be supporting," Klass said. "Our job is to keep people alive."
It's not uncommon to see older people stop by a location to get naloxone, expressing concerns that a spouse might take too much pain medication by accident or that grandchildren who might use recreational drugs may not realize that they are sometimes laced with deadly fentanyl or other opioids.
But Irick noted Save a Life Day still has an important role in reducing existing stigma.
"We feel it's important to still be out in the community and to be a part of this nationwide event," she said.
Naloxone binds to opioid receptors in the brain and blocks the effect of opioids. However, once it has been administered, 911 should be called to provide follow-up care to the individual and determine if transport to a hospital is warranted.
While some Save a Life Day locations will be operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., others will have slightly different hours, with a mobile crew setting up at three stations outside of Morgantown.
The 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. locations are WVU Health Sciences pylons, the WVU Rec Center; the WVU Mountainlair and the downtown courthouse plaza.
Other locations are Sabraton McDonald's, noon to 6 p.m.; Suncrest McDonald's, noon to 4 p.m.; Lowe's at Glenmark Center, noon to 6 p.m.; Pop the Soda Shop, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Clinton District Library, 10 a.m. to noon; Arnettsville Library, 1 to 3 p.m. and Blacksville 7-Eleven, 4 to 6 p.m.
Email Mary Wade Burnside, the public information officer at Monongalia County Health Department, at MaryWade.Burnside@wv.gov.