ARLINGTON, Va. — Thursday is 'Save a Life Day', a national campaign that started in West Virginia in 2020.
The goal of the campaign is to save lives by spreading the word about how you can help someone who may have overdosed.
"This year we are aiming to dispense over 101,000 boxes of Narcan across the country, as a whole," said Emily Siqveland, the Opioid Programs Manager for Arlington County.
She told WUSA9 that this year, Arlington County is participating in the campaign for the first time.
"We believe deeply in the role of the community to respond to the overdose and addiction epidemic," explained Siqveland.
According to data from the Opioid Incident Data dashboard, 39 people have overdosed in Arlington County since the start of the year. Of those 39, 10 people have died.
"We know that no family, no friends, no one in our community is immune from experiencing this epidemic," she said.
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Which is why they plan to be at at least eight locations across the county, starting Thursday morning, to hand out boxes of Narcan.
In addition, Siqveland says Arlington County Public Schools will offer 'drive-by trainings' for parents at the start and end of the school day. Each parent will receive an overview training/information sheet and 1 box of Narcan.
"We encourage everyone to upgrade their medicine cabinet by carrying naloxone in it," said Siqveland.
To find the nearest Save a Life Day event to you, click here.