T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA The Belmont County Health Department and Southeast Health Care join forces Monday to pass out free naloxone to the public. Pictured from left are Carrigan Goodson and Linda Mehl of the Belmont County Health Department and Kelly Vansickle of Southeast Health Care.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Health Department and Southeast Health Care teamed up to supply free naloxone, often called Narcan, to the community on Monday.

Monday afternoon marks the first time Southeast Health Care and Belmont County Health Department collaborated to provide free Narcan kits, which can reverse an opioid overdose, to the public. In addition to handing out the kits, both agencies were offering education on how to use and store the kits.

“Naloxone is a safe medication, so if somebody was to get in and use it when they are not having an overdose it’s not going to hurt them,” Belmont County Health Department nurse Linda Mehl said. “Although it’s safe, we still don’t want somebody to use it for the wrong reasons. We just want to keep everybody safe.”

The joint effort also provided free Deterra bags, which are pouches designed to safely discard any potentially harmful drugs or medication. Both the Naloxone kits and Deterra bags are free to the public thanks to grants by the state of Ohio.

“We want to get them in the hands of people who might know somebody who uses opiates and can reverse an overdose,” Mehl said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the five most important steps to help someone who is overdosing are to first call 9-1-1, then administer naloxone. Try to keep the individual awake and breathing. Lay the person on their side to prevent choking. And, finally, stay with the individual until emergency responders arrive.

“We all know that if more people have access to Narcan then more people have a chance of survival,” Southeast Health Care Court Navigator Cayla Paboucek-Davis said.

According to Paboucek-Davis, 22 free naloxone kits were distributed at a Harrison County event last Tuesday, and 41 kits were distributed in Belmont County at Monday’s event.

If you were unable to attend Monday’s event or last Tuesday’s in Harrison County, you can stop by your local health department at any time to receive free naloxone.

More information on overdose prevention strategies can be found at belmontcountyhealth.com. You can also contact the non-overdose crisis hotline by calling or texting 988 at any time. Paboucek-Davis added that Southeast Health Care is in the process of arranging a free naloxone event at its Martins Ferry office, but the date is still being finalized.