W.V. Campuses Will Install Naloxone Kits to Prevent Overdoses

To prevent overdoses, campuses in West Virginia will install 50 boxes containing the opioid-reversal drug naloxone, along with instructions, the Herald-Dispatch reported.

The Be the One initiative, sponsored by the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Network and the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, aims to minimize opioid overdose deaths and aid recovery efforts among students, faculty and staff on West Virginia’s campuses. Each “Naloxbox,” which the organizations will distribute and mount on campus walls, contains two doses of naloxone and training materials on how to administer the medication during an active overdose. The institutions receiving the Naloxboxes are BridgeValley Community and Technical College, Concord University, New River Community and Technical College, West Virginia State University, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College, West Virginia University, and the Erma Byrd Center for Higher Education.

“As we kick off the spring semester, we are holding naloxone training for our staff and faculty, and we can have Naloxboxes on all our campuses thanks to this program,” said Bonny Copenhaver, the president of New River Community and Technical College. “Participating in the Be the One initiative is a way that we can be prepared to support our students in a moment of crisis and hopefully save a life.”