by Ryan Schweiger
In 2021, there were 107,622 drug overdose-related deaths in the United States. This translates to 294 lives lost to an overdose every day. Every one of these lives was worth saving. The people who lose their lives are our friends, neighbors, co-workers, children, spouses, parents, extended family members, and even church members.
A group of Mosaic pastors and youth leaders visited St. Luke’s Penn Foundation, a Conference Related Ministry, in March. I was honored to host them and talk more about the substance use prevention/recovery education that we provide annually to thousands of youths throughout Bucks and Montgomery counties. An important part of this visit was learning about Narcan (Naloxone), an opioid overdose reversal medication.
In my work, I regularly see people struggling and families facing confusion, crushed hearts, and overdoses that sometimes result in death. I also get to see people and families who engage in treatment and find recovery—maybe for the first time or for the tenth time. It’s important for individuals and families to have that chance.
Narcan is available to community organizations, free of charge, to have on hand. This life-saving medication comes in a small box with two doses (nasal spray devices). In the box, there are simple instructions for use as well as instructions on how to spot a possible overdose and to respond to the emergency with Narcan.
One of the benefits of Narcan, in addition to reversing overdoses, is that it isn’t harmful to anyone. For example, if the medicine is used on persons who do not have opioids in their bodies, nothing will happen; the medicine has no effect. It would be like spraying salt water into your nose.
You may not know who takes a prescribed opioid, who struggles with addiction, or who experiments with substances that could be laced with powerful synthetic opioids. The individual may not even know. Overdoses can be accidental, which is why Narcan is so important and should be available everywhere, just like a first aid kit.
If your congregation is interested in obtaining Narcan and/or receiving a brief instructional training on how to use it, please feel free to reach out to me at Ryan.Schweiger@sluhn.org. It would be my pleasure to help provide you with this important resource so that you are able to save a life.
Ryan Schweiger
Ryan Schweiger CPS, CRS, CPRP is employed by St.Luke’s Penn Foundation as their Behavioral Health Community Outreach Liaison. In this role, Ryan serves as a bridge between St.Luke’s Penn Foundation and the community by providing resources and information, as well as education on behavioral health topics. Ryan is also a person in long-term recovery from a substance use disorder and shares his lived experience in that journey to instill hope, inspire change, and build community.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.