EMERGENCY HELP — Alex Schneider, director of Brooke County Libraries, checks the ONEbox, an emergency kit with which anyone can aid an individual suffering from an overdose, found at the Wellsburg library. Through a partnership with the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, ONEboxes have been installed there and at the Follansbee library, mounted at the rear of the buildings near automated external defibrillators, which may be used to help a person experiencing a heart attack. -- Warren Scott

The Brooke County Libraries in Wellsburg and Follansbee have added an emergency kit that may be used to help someone suffering from a drug overdose.

Alex Schneider, the libraries’ director, said through a partnership with the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, ONEbox opioid reversal kits have been mounted on walls at the rear of the two libraries.

The boxes include nasal drops containing naloxone, an overdose reversal drug sold as Narcan. There are voice instructions in administering the drops.

Naloxone has been used to help individuals who have overdosed on various opioid drugs, including heroin and prescription medications.

Institute President Susan Bissett said, “We are proud to partner with West Virginia Libraries through funding received from the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to provide increased access to naloxone training and availability throughout the state. We know that an overdose can happen anytime, anywhere, and to anyone.”

She added, “Librarians and library staff are front line community workers, and they interact with people in all walks of life, and people who suffer from substance use disorder visit libraries. So the more ONEboxes we have available to anyone, and more people trained and willing to step up to save a life, we’re better off. We are grateful to Brooke County for their participation and involvement in this project which shows their commitment to helping reduce fatal overdoses in West Virginia.”

Schneider said, “After discussion with my board at a monthly meeting regarding the current state of our communities and things that libraries have had to do to help combat this issue in our state and nationally as well, we felt it was a correct step in the right direction by offering something that was freely offered to help us provide assistance at our facilities.”

She noted training in the kits’ use is available to staff and patrons and added they are located near automated external defibrillators installed earlier to help anyone experiencing a heart attack.

The institute has distributed 70 ONEboxes and 140 doses of naloxone to libraries in 30 counties throughout West Virginia as well as many colleges and universities.

All West Virginia libraries are invited to participate in this program at no cost to them and information can be obtained by contacting Heather McDaniel, the institute’s vice president, at heather@wvdii.org.

Based in Charleston, the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute was established to reduce opioid and drug-related deaths in Appalachia and the nation by preventing substance use through education, reducing overdose through training and distribution involving naloxone and other opioid reversal agents, and supporting harm reduction and other drug-response efforts.