Concord University to participate in statewide initiative for lifesaving on campus

Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph, W.Va.
·2 min read
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Dec. 2—ATHENS — Concord University is participating in an overdose prevention initiative, created for West Virginia college and university campuses called "Be The One," university officials said Thursday.

The initiative is the first of its kind and will focus on opioid overdose prevention from a bystander's perspective, encouraging students, staff, and faculty to Be The One to save a life. A project of the initiative includes the distribution and installation of the ONEbox.

The ONEbox is an on-demand, one-of-a-kind, technology-enabled opioid overdose rescue response kit that contains two doses of opioid reversal medication, and naloxone. The box also contains instantaneous video instructions that are activated when ONEbox is opened, according to a university press release. This video talks the responder through the overdose emergency and administration of naloxone. A training mode is also available for use during a non-emergency.

The Be The One Initiative was created by the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Program (WVCRN) and the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (WV DII), with the goal of increasing prevention and recovery efforts on West Virginia campuses, educating individuals in medication safety, and training them how to properly respond to an overdose. The ONEbox was created by Murphy Media, Inc. and is managed by the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute, Inc.

"Concord is proud to be a part of this life-saving initiative," said Dr. Sarah Beasley, Dean of Students at Concord University. "We are committed to the safety and well-being of our students and the surrounding community."

"We believe naloxone should be easily accessible everywhere and through our partnerships with WVDII, colleges and universities around the state we are decreasing stigma and providing vital resources to help save lives," explained Susie Mullens, director of the WVCRN.

As someone who worked on college campuses for 25 years, and responded to campus overdose, Dr. Susan Bissett, president of the WV DII believes that this initiative is much needed.

"College campuses are representative of the communities in which they are housed; and they are often the hub for activity in their town," Bissett said. "Our campus buildings have AEDs, first aid kits and fire extinguishers and so the ONEbox is just one more way to keep our campuses, our students and our communities safe."

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com