BOARDMAN, Ohio - Mahoning County Public Health is partnering with the Southern Park Mall in Boardman to conduct a Project DAWN Naloxone distribution event on Tuesday, August 1 to kick off Overdose Awareness Month.

The event will take place from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Southern Park Mall's Center Court area. Attendees can receive a free Naloxone kit by simply participating in a short training.

The training includes identifying risk factors for opioid overdose, recognizing an overdose, calling emergency medical services, giving intranasal naloxone and monitoring the person until help arrives.

In nearly 40% of overdose deaths, at least one bystander was present and could have saved a life if Naloxone was available. 

Just last year, Mahoning County had 155 unintentional overdose deaths, with 90% of them being caused by Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is 80 to 100 times more deadly than Morphine.  

Naloxone is a medication that can reverse opioid overdoses by blocking the effects of opioids on the brain and quickly restoring breathing. Naloxone has no potential for abuse and is harmless if given to someone not experiencing an overdose.

If you can't make it to Tuesday's event, you can still get yourself a free Naloxone kit by following the steps here.