WNC government leaders and health advocates to assemble overdose-reversal kits

Press release from Vaya Health: 

WHAT: State Sen. Terry Van Duyn is expected to join county commissioners and health advocates from throughout WNC as they assemble opioid overdose-reversal kits for distribution throughout the region. The 1,200 kits will include naloxone nasal spray, also known as NARCAN®, as well as information on local treatment resources and wallet-sized cards with  Vaya Health’s 24/7 Access to Care and crisis line number.

The kits will be distributed throughout Vaya’s 23-county region, at no cost to local residents, by the N.C. Harm Reduction Coalition. The NARCAN® nasal spray is funded through a grant to Vaya.

WHEN: 5:30 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017

WHERE: Vaya Health, 200 Ridgefield Court, Suite 206, Asheville, NC 28806

WHO: Vaya Health and community partners

WHY: This event is part of a larger effort by local leaders to address the opioid drug crisis affecting WNC and prevent overdoses in our communities. Federal statistics show that 91 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose, a four-fold increase since 1999.

About Vaya Health

Vaya Health manages public funds for mental health, substance use disorder and intellectual or developmental disability services in 23 North Carolina counties: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey. Access to services and crisis help are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-849-6127. Learn more at www.vayahealth.com.

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About Thomas Calder
Thomas Calder received his MFA in Fiction from the University of Houston's Creative Writing Program. His writing has appeared in Gulf Coast, the Miracle Monocle, Juked and elsewhere. His debut novel, The Wind Under the Door, is now available.

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