Naloxone Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Legislative Interims, Digital Parenting Demands And Composting, This West Virginia Week

On this West Virginia Week, legislators started off the week back in Charleston for the first time since the end of the regular session for interim meetings. Meanwhile, we heard about the state’s rising natural gas production, the new challenges of digital devices for parents, and ahead of Earth Day, we took a look at a major composting operation.

On this West Virginia Week, legislators started off the week back in Charleston for the first time since the end of the regular session for interim meetings. We learned more about the state’s finances, government auditing and a new approach to maintaining the state’s roads.

Meanwhile, we heard about the state’s rising natural gas production, the new challenges of digital devices for parents, and ahead of Earth Day, we took a look at a major composting operation.

We’ll dive into these topics, plus a national award for a local breakfast favorite and upgrades to regional rail-trails.

Chris Schulz is our host this week. Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert.

West Virginia Week is a web-only podcast that explores the week’s biggest news in the Mountain State. It’s produced with help from Bill Lynch, Briana Heaney, Chris Schulz, Curtis Tate, Emily Rice, Eric Douglas, Jack Walker, Liz McCormick and Randy Yohe.

Learn more about West Virginia Week.

Naloxone And Natural Gas, This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, harm reduction advocates celebrate an anniversary and a discussion about the state’s role in supplying the global market of natural gas.

On this West Virginia Morning, harm reduction advocates celebrated the first anniversary of the installation of a Narcan vending machine in Charleston on Monday.

Also, Curtis Tate speaks with Charlie Burd, president of the West Virginia Gas and Oil Association, about the state’s role in supplying the global market of natural gas after a record year of production.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Shepherd University.

Eric Douglas produced this episode.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

New Fentanyl Education Discussed By Education Committee

Whether or not to teach middle schoolers about fentanyl and overdose-reversing medicine sparked discussion in the House Education Committee, while Senate Education modified a House bill on special education.

Titled Laken’s Law, House Bill 5540 would mandate fentanyl prevention and awareness education, as well as use of naloxone, in grades six through 12.

The bill sparked more than a half hour of discussion and debate in the House Education Committee Wednesday, with many delegates expressing concern about whether it was appropriate to teach sixth graders how to administer opioid-reversing medication.

State Superintendent Michele Blatt told the committee that drug prevention has been a focus of health education in schools for years and reflects the lived reality of many students in the state, even in middle school.

“I think middle school is where a lot of those problems begin,” she said. “One of the surveys that we do, the safe and drug free school survey, students start talking about as early as sixth and seventh grade being exposed to it or having the opportunity to use it. So I don’t think it’s too early to share the messaging of the dangers and the harms of it.”

Fentanyl has been a leading cause of overdose deaths in recent years. But data released last June by the Office of Drug Control Policy revealed a decline in opioid overdose rates, marking a positive turn in the fight against the ongoing drug epidemic. Health officials attribute the positive trend to a combination of factors, including expanded availability of naloxone. Blatt compared training for the use of naloxone products, such as Narcan, to first aid and CPR.

“Sadly, the world we live in now, it may be a matter of the student learns to use it, because they’re going to have to use it on mom or dad at home when they can’t wake up their parents or something,” she said.

The bill was amended to include heroin and other opioids in the new mandated education, and now goes to the House for its consideration.

House Education also discussed:

HB 5405, Providing additional professional development and support to West Virginia educators through teacher and leader induction and professional growth.
HB 5553, To provide and change graduation requirements and change duties relating to academic content standards.
HB 5607, Relating to public charter school’s application for funding
HB 5650, Allow suspended school personnel to enter school property functions open to the public.
SB 507, Relating to repeal of WV EDGE.

In the Senate

The Senate Education Committee focused on one Senate bill and two House bills Thursday morning.

House Bill 4860, which originally freed general education teachers from documenting special education accommodations, was hotly debated when it passed through the House Education Committee Jan. 22. Bill sponsor Del. Elliot Pritt, R-Fayette, a middle school teacher, called existing documentation requirements onerous, while critics of the bill raised concern that the bill would open the door for shirking of legal responsibilities to special education students.

Thursday morning, the Senate Education Committee changed the bill to re-introduce some documentation requirements for all teachers. Pritt was on hand to approve of the changes.

“In Fayette County, many other counties right now, we’re required to complete just an onerous amount of daily paperwork to prove that we’re already doing what we’re required to do by law in the first place,” he said. “I spoke with Chairwoman Grady and have agreed with the changes he’s proposed to the bill. It still equals a desired outcome of less onerous paperwork and but still meets, I guess, addresses the concerns that some people had about there being no daily documentation.”

The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

The Senate Education Committee also discussed:

SB 727 – Revising process for county boards of education to hire support staff
HB 4768 – Relating to increasing the number of out- of-state medical students receiving in-state tuition rates who agree to practice for a specific time within West Virginia.

Organizers Celebrate Success Of Save A Life Day

The number of Naloxone doses distributed on Save A Life Day more than doubled this year.

All 13 Appalachian states hosted more than 300 events on Save A Life Day and distributed more than 45,000 doses of naloxone.

Naloxone is a medication that works to reverse opioid overdoses. One common brand is Narcan, an easy-to-use nasal spray.

In 2020, the first Save A Life Day was organized by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) Office of Drug Control Policy (ODCP) in partnership with SOAR WV, a Charleston-based community group with the stated goal of promoting the health, dignity, and voices of individuals who are impacted by drug use.

This year, the Bureau for Behavioral Health provided $600,000 worth of naloxone in West Virginia and distributed 29,438 doses to community organizations and individuals across the state.

“The expansion of Appalachian Save a Life Day across multiple states underscores our relentless pursuit of saving lives and providing hope to those affected by the opioid crisis,” said Rachel Thaxton, Interim Director for DHHR’s ODCP. “Together with our partners, we have not only made naloxone more accessible but have also opened the door to a brighter future for individuals and families in need.”

Three years since the effort began in just two counties, more than 180 counties across 13 states participated and distributed more than 45,000 naloxone doses throughout Appalachia.

According to Iris Sidikman, the Appalachian Save a Life Day Coordinator with SOAR, about 20,000 doses were distributed last year.

“One of the most moving things about Save A Life Day, to me is watching people take this idea, this idea that we had and this work that we’ve done, and bring it to their community, all the way up and down the country,” Sidikman said. “That, I think, has been the most meaningful part to me.”

Appalachia Health News is a project of West Virginia Public Broadcasting with support from Charleston Area Medical Center and Marshall Health.

Over The Counter Naloxone And Workshops At The Augusta Heritage Center On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, every summer, the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins attracts thousands of visitors who come to learn about traditional arts, music and crafts. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch spoke with Seth Young about the center’s mission and its plans to bring more high school juniors and seniors to its summer workshops – for free.

On this West Virginia Morning, every summer, the Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins attracts thousands of visitors who come to learn about traditional arts, music and crafts. Inside Appalachia’s Bill Lynch spoke with Seth Young about the center’s mission and its plans to bring more high school juniors and seniors to its summer workshops – for free.

Also, in this show, the opioid overdose drug naloxone nasal spray will soon be available to purchase over the counter. But there are concerns. Appalachia Health news Reporter Emily Rice has more.

And the Allegheny Front, based in Pittsburgh, shares its latest story about the deadly Donora smog in the western Pennsylvania.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from West Virginia University, Concord University, and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

FDA Approves Nasal Naloxone For Over The Counter Use

Until recently, Narcan was only available with a prescription, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a specific naloxone product for use without a prescription: a four-milligram naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray.

Naloxone rapidly reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and is considered the standard treatment.

Lindsay Acree is the Pharmacist-In-Charge at the University of Charleston’s Patient Care Clinic, PharmUC, and an assistant professor in the pharmacy department.

“The motivation is that we’re seeing more and more overdoses,” Acree said. “You know, just because you don’t use a substance doesn’t mean that you don’t have a friend or a family member that doesn’t, so I think that it gives people the opportunity to have it with them, for individuals that they may encounter that have overdosed.”

Narcan nasal spray was first approved by the FDA in 2015 as a prescription drug. As part of the process to change the status of a drug from prescription to nonprescription, the manufacturer provided data demonstrating that the drug is safe and effective for use without the supervision of a healthcare professional.

Still, some worry about the lack of training in using naloxone, but according to Acree, a helpful label will show how to use it.

“Anytime something goes over the counter, it has to be labeled in a way that anyone can understand it, basically,” Acree said. “I mean, it has to be regardless of their level of education, they have to be able to understand how to use it safely and effectively.”

Some advocates, like Amy Saunders, the managing director of Marshall University’s Center of Excellence for Recovery, worry about the unannounced cost of over-the-counter Naloxone nasal spray.

“I think it’s going to maybe make it more accessible to a lot of lot more different types of folks, and in a lot of different types of places and venues,” Saunders said. “But I think the price is going to be really important for us to kind of understand that piece.”

After the FDA’s announcement, Sen. Joe Manchin D-WV released a statement applauding the drug’s approval.

“In the last year, more than 106,000 Americans and 1,400 West Virginians died from drug related overdoses,” Manchin said. “Given the enormous scale of need, it has never been more important to adopt opioid overdose prevention and reversal strategies on a wide scale. Naloxone is an immeasurably valuable resource for our fight against the drug epidemic, and it is proven to be safe and effective for public use. I’m thrilled to see the FDA take this meaningful action to make naloxone available over the counter, which helps reduce stigma and encourages the widespread use of this critical medication during emergencies.