The Neighborhood Podcast
This is a podcast of Guilford Park Presbyterian Church in Greensboro, North Carolina featuring guests from both inside the church and the surrounding community. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Stephen M. Fearing, Head of Staff.
The Neighborhood Podcast
Churches, Narcan, And Saving Lives
Presented by: Rev. Wes Pitts, First Presbyterian Church (Reidsville, NC)
A single nasal spray can turn a silent crisis into a second chance—and many of those chances unfold in everyday places like sanctuaries, parking lots, and fellowship halls. We walk through a practical, compassionate training for faith leaders and community members on recognizing an opioid overdose and using naloxone (Narcan) to save a life, weaving a clear moral call—do good when someone is in the pit—with concrete steps anyone can follow.
We start by demystifying opioids and naloxone: what these drugs do in the body, why fentanyl changes the risk picture, and how an opioid antagonist quickly restores breathing. From there, we map the response timeline in plain language: signs to look for, how to attempt to wake someone, when and how to call 911, and the exact technique for nasal administration, including when to deliver a second dose. We also explain rescue breathing, recovery positioning, and the critical importance of monitoring for 30 to 90 minutes after reversal since naloxone can wear off before the opioid does.
Legal clarity removes hesitation. We outline Good Samaritan protections for callers and patients, naloxone access laws that shield good-faith responders, and the standing orders that allow churches and nonprofits to distribute kits with basic instructions. You’ll hear practical tips on where to obtain naloxone—health departments, pharmacies, harm reduction agencies, and grants—how much it costs, how to store it, and why pairing kits with AEDs makes sense. Finally, we address the human moment after revival: withdrawal symptoms, safety, de-escalation, and connecting people to treatment and mental health support without judgment.
If you serve a congregation, volunteer in your neighborhood, or just want to be ready to help, this training offers step-by-step guidance, legal reassurance, and a hopeful path forward. Subscribe, share this episode with someone who could use it, and leave a review to help more communities learn how to save a life.
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All right. Well, uh, thanks everybody for being here. Uh again, I'm Wes Pitts. I'm the pastor at First Pres in Reedsville, up in Rockingham County. And uh so I have gotten trained on the administration of Narcan because our congregation, uh, we had a nurse retire in our congregation who's been our congregational nurse for many years. Um, but with her retirement, she wanted to delve more into uh the needs of our church and our community around health. And so we began to do some work together about what the greatest needs were and where we could put our skills to use. Uh, and mental health was where we landed. Um, that led us to getting a grant from the North Carolina Council of Churches through their uh health and wholeness. What's the Partners in Health and Wholeness uh initiative? The uh uh I can't remember the name of the program now, uh Abundant Life. It's all about uh increasing mental health and churches being a uh a landing place for community mental health. Uh we because of everything we're doing, they featured a video on us, and um but through some of those programs, uh they have brought Narcan training to our congregation and our community, um, thereby allowing me to take their resources and then share them more widely, which they have given me the blessing to do. I've adapted them for uh our use, uh just based on my own learning styles and leading styles, things that I think are more helpful. Uh so we'll go through this and there's time at the end for questions. Um, first, you know, what you can expect to learn today. Uh, first, you know, we're gonna talk about why we as faith leaders, why our churches should carry or distribute Narcan or naloxone. And they are that title, Narcan Naloxone is used interchangeably throughout. Uh naloxone is the generic name, Narcan is the brand name. Uh, we're gonna talk about how Narcan slash naloxone works. We're gonna teach you how to administer it. We're gonna talk about some of the legal statutes that relate to Narcan and its administration. Uh, we're gonna talk about what happens to an individual when they uh are given Narcan, talk about where you can get it, and then leave time for questions at the end. So let's start with a a little bit of Bible study. We are faith leaders after all. So uh from Matthew's gospel, listen to these words. Jesus left that place and entered their synagogue. A man was there with a withered hand, and they asked him, Is it lawful to cure on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him? He said to them, Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep? So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. Then he said to the man, Stretch out your hand. He stretched it out, and it was restored, as sound as the other. From this we get an example of Jesus doing what was considered uncouth at the time, uh, healing somebody on the Sabbath. There are also many, many people who would think that churches distributing a medication that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose would be uncouth. They might say, Oh, you're just encouraging people to use drugs. Uh but our call from Scripture is to do good for people wherever they are, however we find them. Um, our hope, also as people of faith, is that uh reversing an overdose can be a place to enter a conversation about treatment, to return the person to wholeness. So, and you'll see through this conversation, this training, that that is part of what you are required to do as a person who administers Narcan, um, so that the door is open for that person to receive help. Um so that is why I say we need to distribute uh and give out, assist with training Narcan. Um, at the end of the day, it overdoses are happening and they're affecting all of our communities. Uh, I know there have been several in my congregation that have been affected by drug overdoses because of uh either drugs that were tainted that were uh meant to be a non-opioid, but there was an opioid in them, uh, or habitual users or uh mismanaging medications. Uh, they happen a lot. And we know that in North Carolina, opioids are being abused, and there are many overdoses every year. So, this is a way for churches to also just be at the forefront of helping end a crisis that is affecting too many people. So, let's talk a little bit about this drug, um, which is kind of a miracle drug. So, naloxone is a medication that will rapidly reduce, uh, reverse an opioid overdose. And if you don't know, opioids are you know things like heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, which is sold under oxycontin, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine. Many of these drugs uh are prescription, oxycontin, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine. And, you know, if they are left in bottles, they can easily get distributed. Heroin's a street drug. Fentanyl is uh both a drug that is used in hospitals, but also a street drug and often gets cut into other things that are non-opioids and is very, very deadly. Um, so the way that it works, uh uh naloxone is an opioid antagonist. And so that means that it is able to attach itself to opioid receptors uh that are mostly found in your brain but throughout your body. And because they will attach to those receptors, they will uh prevent the opioid from continuing to attach and then therefore blocking the effects of the opioid. It was patented in 61, approved by the FDA in 71, and is now listed as an essential medicine in the world by the WHO because these overdoses are so common. It can be given through an IV, which is generally how it's done in a hospital setting. An intramuscular injection, uh, which is generally how a first responder would have it. Um, most publicly available Narcan kits are not the injectable type. And the last type, the more common for us, is the nasal spray. It works really, really quickly. Um, it can help restore breathing, it can help restore consciousness, uh it can essentially make someone look like who is dead that they are alive again. Takes one to three minutes generally, we'll get into some of that in a little bit, but generally the effects are seen in one to three minutes. It lasts 30 to 90 minutes. Um because it is a drug that attaches to those opioid receptors in your brain, brainstem, uh, intestinal tract, all that. Uh if you do not have opioids in your system, it will have no effect on you. So it is very much a safe drug to have around. Um, I could take the the Narcane that is in this box and give myself a dose, it will have zero effect because I have no opioids in my system. And it also has, I think there is a single drug that it interacts with, which is a very uncommon drug. Um, and so there's no the only interaction is that it will not work as directed. Um, it won't affect you if you're on antidepressants or anything like that. It only works on those uh receptors throughout your body, mostly in your brain, to prevent the opioid from attaching. So, some diagrams. If you're a visual person, um, you see that you know our brain has all these receptors, and this is through a long uh neuroscience figuring out how to ease pain in the human body. And we had opioids figuring out how they work. Well, we have these receptors, there are lots of different kinds of receptors. The ones for medication are usually the move receptors, but there are a lot of different receptors, and it's Narcan does not care what receptor it is, it just attaches to the receptor and it blocks those uh opioid molecule molecules to fit on, therefore, it is not uh your body is not responding to the opioid, it prevents your body from responding. So, again, we talked about routes a little bit. The um the picture on the left, the like the one I have in my hand, is Narcan. Um, it is the nasal spray. When you get it, uh it usually comes in a box of two. Um, each one will look like this. Um then that is the injectable on the right side of the screen. Again, this is usually not what is given out. There are some instances from uh like drug treatment centers that will have these to give out, but by and large, it's the nasal spray that is available. So let's talk about what you actually do to administer this drug. Um, and because it's a nasal spray, it is really easy just to say, oh, well, duh, you just stick it up someone's nose and pull the trigger, you've given it, which is basically true. But there are a lot more steps if you're to do this effectively. Um, so first, if you see someone who is unconscious, uh you want to see if they might have had an overdose to begin with. Because if you give uh overdose reversal medications and they haven't had an overdose, um, the medication is not going to hurt them, but you may be delaying other life-saving steps that you could be using. So you want to look for signs of an overdose. Those are um being unconscious, uh not being able to wake them up easily, um, very shallow breathing, you might hear choking sounds or gurgling, things like that. And then also you can look at the fingernails and the lips, they'll be turning uh purple or blue. So if you notice those, um, what you do is try to wake them up first. Because if it is something else, again, you don't want you to delay giving other kinds of life-saving assistance. So you can stimulate the person and you know, you call their name like you would if you've been CPR trained, uh, but you can also grind your knuckles into their sternum uh or on the upper lip. That is a very, very painful act. And so if someone is able to be woken up, that will wake them up. Now, if they respond, uh, then they're probably not having an overdose. And so you can do whatever you need to do for them in that situation. But if they do not respond, then you know, chances are they have had an overdose and you need to take action. Second thing you do, you've determined they have uh possibly had an overdose. The uh before you administer the medication, you call 911. Uh, this can wait. You will need help on the scene. And so make sure you call 911 first. Um, you know, the death of an overdose, it does take time. So you you sparing those two or three minutes likely will not kill the person. Um and when you call 911, uh, there are several things you need to do. And this is uh one to protect you legally, and two, just to make sure the person gets help. Uh, you tell the dispatcher exactly where you are and the overdosing person, and then you give them as much information as possible so that they can find you. So if you're in a parking lot of a Walmart, uh, which one of our trainers, when I was getting initially trained, had just given, had to administer Narcan because that was the exact situation they found. Uh, you know, give as much detail as you can about that. Uh, if you can, you don't need to work use words like drugs or drug overdose. Um, just stick to what you see. So you found a person who's not breathing, they're turning blue, they're unconscious, they're not responsive. Um, that will help make the call a priority. When I have talked to EMS uh and police folks in my neck of the woods, they say that they will still list it as the same priority if you say a drug overdose. That's not true everywhere. Um, so some schools of thought say don't give that information. Um it's it's really up to you, but that is some information given. So um once the paramedics do finally arrive, then you tell them uh what you know about what drugs the person may have been using. If you suspect that they overdosed an opioid because of the signs, you can tell them. Um, and if you have given them Narcan, then they should be awake. Um, but if not, they will do it there. So uh you have Narcan on you, you have found the person, you've called 911. The next thing you'll do is take out your Narcan uh and you will you know open it up, take it out of this pack, yeah. You will stick it in the nose and uh push the dispenser up. Um if they do not respond in two minutes, so look at your watch when you do it, um, see what time it is, give yourself two minutes or so. If they don't respond, each pack comes with two. You can open the second one and give them that one. A second dose might be needed depending on how many opio, how much opioid is in the person's system. If there's just a lot of opioids in the person's system because it's a habitual user, it just might take more medication to get those reversal effects kicked in. Um and you can give it to anyone who presents those signs of an opioid overdose, um, or if you just have any reason to suspect that there is an overdose. Um and if you again, if you use it on someone who ends up they weren't having an overdose, it's not going to harm them, so you have done nothing to injure them further. Uh and so again, these are 100% effective, uh, but depending on the kind of opioid and the amount in the system, it might require more. So hopefully not more than two if you only have one case on you. The fourth step, if directed, is to give rescue breaths. Um the 911 uh, whoever you call the uh dispatcher might tell you to do that. And if you are trained, then you can do it. If you're not trained in giving rescue breaths, don't do it because you're not going to help yourself or them. And ideally, you would have a face mask with your narcan so that you can do it safely. Uh, and then the last thing you have to do is monitor the person. Um, again, most people return to consciousness and breathing within two to three minutes. Um, you know, you do the second dose if you need to. Uh, but because this medication only lasts 30 to 90 minutes, you need to keep an eye on them. If they have more opioids in their system, they haven't processed them while this is uh when this stops being in their system after that 30 to 90 minutes, they can lapse back into overdose. And so they need to be monitored. Hopefully, you've called 911, they are taken by EMS, and medical professionals are doing that. But there are going to be times when people refuse the medical help. And so then it is your responsibility to stay with them for at least four hours to make sure they are safe, they're not gonna uh to fall back into overdose, um all of that. Um, make sure that they are safe. If the person just refuses and leaves, you know, that's not on you. Um but we're we're told to stay with them for at least four hours. Um, this is a uh just a chart that will help kind of say what you're supposed to do. And like on the back of my box of naloxone, this is generic. There's the same chart just that looks a little bit different, so it's on there. Um, you are responsible if you're distributing Narcan to people out in the public. You are responsible for giving a how-to guide. Hopefully, the box comes with one. But if not, this is available and you can look up uh charts that you can distribute with them. But this is just exactly what we talked about. So you try to wake the person up, um, you know, grinding the knuckles if you need to, you call 911, you administer the null uh naloxone, check for breathing and give uh rescue breathing if you're asked to, and then you stay with the person. Um, we're gonna watch a short video that gives a scenario that again does this again. So repetition is always best. So we'll watch this.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you for watching the training video and learning how to become an opioid overdose responder. If you have any questions about the content of this video or opioid overdose, don't hesitate to contact info at nextsister.org or fill out the contact form on our website. Opioids are pain relievers and include prescription painkillers such as oxycontin, phicodin, or percocet, as well as drugs like heroin. Fentanyl is a fast-acting opioid that is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and is leading to an increase in overdose deaths across the country. Fentanyl is being found not just in heroin, but in cocaine, methamphetamine, and counterfeit pills as well. An overdose occurs when someone takes more or stronger opioids than their body can manage. This leads to respiratory depression. If the person doesn't get help, it could result in death. Some possible signs of an opioid overdose include being unconscious or passed out, slow or stopped breathing, lips or fingernails turning blue or gray depending on the person's skin tone, making snoring or gurgling sounds. And in the case of fentanyl overdose, people have reported that the individual's body becomes very rigid. If any of these symptoms are present, it's important to respond quickly. Check for responsiveness. Shake and shout at the person as if you're trying to wake them. If they don't respond, perform a sternal rub by making a fist and rubbing your knuckles along the person's sternum or breastbone. If they don't respond to this painful stimuli, that means it's an emergency. The first thing to do is to call 911. It's important to know that help is on the way, and also to have a backup in case the person's having a different kind of emergency. Good Samaritan laws vary from state to state, and it's important to know that law enforcement may respond to your 911 call. Let the 911 operator know that you're with a person who is not responsive. After calling 911, administer Narcan, peel the package back, remove the Narcan device, and put your thumb on the bottom of the plunger and your first and middle finger on either sides of the nozzle. Put the nozzle in their nostril, press the plunger firmly to dispense the medication intranasally. Narcan can take two to eight minutes to work, and sometimes more than one dose of narcan is needed. If the person has not responded after two minutes, give the second dose. In addition to calling for help and giving Narcan or providing rescue breath, getting oxygen to an overdosing person may reduce serious complications such as a brain injury and keep the person alive until help arrives. Due to COVID-19, many people are hesitant to give rescue breath. Use a rescue breathing mask if one is available. If a partner, lover, or someone else who lives in the same household as the person experiencing the overdoses available to provide rescue breathing, they may be the safest choice when considering COVID-19 transmission. If the person doesn't become responsive right away, and if you're not performing rescue breathing, don't put them in the recovery position. This is very essential if you need to leave the person alone. Hopefully, after one or two doses of Narcan, the person will become responsive. If this happens, tell them what happened. Explain that they were overdosing and you gave them Narcan. If the person uses opioids regularly, they may experience withdrawal until the Narcan wears off. Assure them that their withdrawal symptoms will pass. It's important to explain that narcane only lasts between 30 and 90 minutes, and that using more drugs could increase the chance of another overdose and furthermore is unlikely to ease their withdrawal symptoms. If for whatever reason the person doesn't seek medical attention, stay with them for at least three hours to ensure they're all right and they don't need medical help. If you've used your Narcan, it's important to us that you fill out the reversal form located on the third-party company that we have gotten the video from, so you don't need to follow that part.
SPEAKER_00:Um, but it's good because it is quick and to the point. So we've talked about that. Let's do a little bit of the do's and don'ts of administering Narcan. So when you uh administer Narcan, you want to attend to the person's breathing and cardiovascular support if you are trained and instructed by 911. So given those rescue breaths. You want to administer the Narcan and use the second dose if there was no response from the first after those two minutes. Uh, you want to put the person in the recovery position if they do not wake up until help arrives, and you want to stay with the person and keep them warm. You do not want to, you know, slap them forcefully try to stimulate the person. You know, you do the painful stimuli in the chest, that is enough. You don't need to keep trying to like break their arm to wake them up. Um, you don't put the person in a cold shower. Um, if they pass out again, they could drown, that could, they could get hurt. You don't inject them with anything. There are some myths around about what can help uh an opioid overdose, and they do not work. So don't give them anything. Um, and then you don't try to make them vomit because they're in a compromised state anyway. If they uh inhale that and start to respirate that vomit, that can cause damage. So let's talk about some of the laws that protect you as a person administering Narcan. So we have a Good Samaritan law in North Carolina. It is GS90-96.2 if you want to look it up and look at all the language. Um, but it will protect you uh to a certain degree if you call 911, and it also protects the person who is overdosing uh when you call 911. So you cannot be prosecuted for having small amounts of drugs around you. Um and so that is all misdemeanor possessions and for felony possessions less than one gram. Um and then you cannot be prosecuted for uh possession of drug paraphernalia, and the listed citations are there too. Um if the person is underage and there's alcohol involved, there's uh also a chance that they will not be prosecuted for that. Uh law enforcement, EMS, uh, those first responders, their first line of duty is to make sure people are safe, and so they're not gonna prosecute uh for additional stuff, ensuring that people are safe. Uh, an additional law that you should be aware of is the naloxone access law. And so that protects you if you, in good faith, give Narcan or naloxone to someone who you believe to be having an overdose. Um, they cannot turn around and sue you saying they weren't really having an overdose. How dare you use this medicine? Um, you tried to do what you thought was best given the situation, and so you are protected from any kind of lawsuit because you gave them the medicine. All right, so you've made the decision to give Narcan to someone, you follow all the steps. Here's what happens when they wake up. Uh so again, the receptors in their brain are uh interrupted, so it reverses the effects of the opioid. Uh breathing should return to normal. Uh however, especially in people that are long-term opioid users who are already addicted, this may send them directly into withdrawal. And opioid withdrawal, if you've ever seen it, is really, really unpleasant. They can become angry, they can become violent. Um, if that happens, obviously you want to get yourself to a place of safety. Um now, if the person who has come to from the overdose wants to take another hit of heroin in order to stop the withdrawal symptoms, it is really important that you tell them no. Uh, because the narcan is in their system, any additional opioid that they put in their system will have no effect until the narcan wears off. And if they only build it in their system, they risk going back into overdose and potentially dying. Um, and if they refuse medical care, they do need to be watched. If they refuse to let you watch them, you know, that becomes on them. Uh, but they need to be watched by somebody to ensure that they don't go into overdose again, especially in that time frame of when it wears off. Um, backwards. All right, so where can you get it? Um because of uh uh there is um a start off. Um, there are two different kinds of Narcan that you can get nasally. One is prescription and one is over-the-counter. The over-the-counter is relatively new, only about two years old. This is the over-the-counter version. The prescription ones will say for RX only. Um, however, with either one of them, the state of North Carolina has a standing order uh that authorizes any pharmacist in the state uh to dispense the prescription without a prescription. And so it can be given to anyone who simply requests it. You can request it because you think you might be at risk of having an overdose. You can uh request it because someone you know might be at risk, uh, or just because you think you might be in a situation where you find someone who is uh overdosing. Uh statistics show that most people overdose during business hours, so between about nine and five. And so if you are ever out in the community between those hours, there is a risk that you will find someone who has overdosed. Um, so you can get it at pharmacies because of that law. You can get it at your harm reduction agencies, these are needle exchanges, stuff like that. Um, you can get it from your local health department. Um, and then there are also some places online like naloxone saves uh. nc.org, give some institutional grants. Um and so the narcan that we keep in our church, we got a little over a case of it. All came from naloxone saves. We applied and got it. Um, but you can also just go to the pharmacy and purchase it. It costs about$45 per box. Um, so it's not the cheapest. Um, but if you have money in your budget, if you're a church and can spend you know$450,$500 to get a supply, it's worth doing. Um, all right, public distribution. So getting it is uh legal, distributing it is also legal. Um, the citation is there on the screen. And so it that citation says that any governmental, non governmental organization that promotes scientifically proven ways of mitigating health risks associated with substance use disorders and other high risk behaviors are authorized to distribute it under that same standing order that lets you get it. So uh if you're a church, you're a non governmental organization, you're using scientifically proven ways of mitigating uh health risks. And so you are allowed to distribute it under that standing order. And so uh all those places are the you know, health departments, emergency service agencies, community coalitions, syringe services, jails, they could all distribute it. Um, however, you do have to require uh give basic instruction and information if you distribute it. Usually, again, it's on the back of the box. Um, if not, you can print out a very simple sheet that you can attach with it so you're covered. So, quick, that was that's all I have to present. Uh if you have questions, I am happy to answer them.
SPEAKER_01:Wes, could you speak a little bit to a question that I had a few months ago about the shelf life? Just if anybody's oh yes about that.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, so um Narcan does have an expiration date. Um, the one that we got in the case last year, it expires in 2027. However, um it has been shown to be just as effective 10 years after expiration. And so you should get rid of it and replace it if it expires. However, if it is all you have, then continue to use it. So don't not give someone who's overdosing Narcan because, oh, you look at it, oh shoot, it expired a year ago. Give it to them. It's most likely going to be just as effective. Um, no, 10 years is kind of the at the point at which they say it it begins to lose efficacy. Um, hopefully you can get some to replace it by then. But yeah, should be good. Thanks.
SPEAKER_03:Uh along that line, I'd like to make a comment.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:If you're if your institution has an AED, have somebody verify that those things are not expired. When I started at my church and checked ours, nobody had checked them and all our pads were expired. So someone may want to check on that periodically.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah. And so at our church, we keep um doses of Narcan on top of the AED, um, just so it is a public place that someone who might need it and is embarrassed to say they need it can go and grab it without any judgment. Um, but it also then it's a place we're checking regularly. And because we're checking it, we know when we need to replace the pads and the battery date and all that.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, I'm I'm one of the few medical professionals at my church. So that's why it probably hasn't been checked before. The only reason I'm mentioning it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, we do the same thing at Gulfer Park. We we keep it on top of our AED. We use the uh the the graphic instructions that Wes gave us. We printed out a copy and put it on there um in addition to the instructions are on the back. We also I also keep one in my office here at the church, and we uh keep one in the main office. And I put in the chat box too that Trisha and I also keep one in both of our um glove compartment boxes in our cars as well. And and best, I think you said you keep one on your person pretty much 24-7, right?
SPEAKER_00:I keep one on my person 24-7. Um, I only do a single dose just because the big box is kind of difficult to carry around. Um, but I do have it with me everywhere I go. And I we have a knitting ministry in our church, and they have knit pouches for the Narcane to go into for like a purse. Um, so uh we have several folks who now carry it around everywhere they go.
SPEAKER_04:So I guess I have a question about how do I know or and I know it's not as crucial that I understand that, but if I come up on somebody who is passed out, we have I'm thinking of somebody that I know who uses um opioids for pain management following her physician's instructions. But we've all mixed up what day it is, and and so if she had too much, um, I would know that she uses that. But if I went and and and found somebody from my church laying in, you know, a corner of the building or something like that, it could be a heart attack, it could be lots of reasons why they or diabetic, you know. So what's why do I reach for that first instead of the doing the CPR or whatever? I'm gonna call 911 first anyway, but right.
SPEAKER_00:Well, that's why you you call 911 first. Um, you describe what's happening, and if you don't know that there are drugs involved, don't say I suspect an overdose. You just say exactly what you see. They're gonna instruct you on what to do. Um, but if there is any reason to suspect that there's an overdose, the the the fact that they're unconscious, unconscious, uh if there's any of that gurgling in their breathing, if the fingernails are blue or grayish or lips, then you know you have reason to suspect that that might be true. And so if you have it on you, you're not hurting them by giving it to them. You may be helping. And so you're safe to do that in addition to anything else that medical professionals tell you to do.
SPEAKER_04:Is the gurgling a specific feature of overdose as compared to other conditions?
SPEAKER_00:It would happen in other conditions too. Yeah, Chris, you're better at this than me.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and the gurgling is gonna probably more towards their having trouble breathing.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_03:So so that's gonna be more of the respiratory issue and not able to swallow any stuff at the back of your throat.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and I guess my other question is as far as the staying and monitoring, if I'm with somebody that I don't know, right? Because that's one of the things you said, you know, you could be in a Walmart parking lot. Um, and so if I'm with somebody I don't know and the ambulance rolls up or the rescue squad rolls up and the person says, no, I don't want you, then then I still I'm the one who stays, right? Even though I'm perhaps less qualified.
SPEAKER_00:Um what I would do in that situation is say, is there somebody you we can talk to and that you feel safe around? Explain to them what happened and say, can you watch them to make sure they don't overdose again?
SPEAKER_04:Yeah. Because they're not gonna necessarily be in a if they're in the withdrawal, they won't be making good decisions anyway. Right.
SPEAKER_00:And if they're in withdrawal and are violent, then EMS is probably gonna take them without their consent.
SPEAKER_03:And they still have the right to refuse, and that's their way.
SPEAKER_00:Well, if they're being violent though, then the police will be on the scene and they can't refuse that.
SPEAKER_04:Hoping I never need to use it.
unknown:Amen.
SPEAKER_04:But hoping I'm there if somebody needs it.
SPEAKER_03:Well, and and if you talked about somebody you know on pain medication, they will wake up in pain and complaining about pain. Because it's taking away all their pain, pain. So be aware of that as well. Um but there is always a risk, like you said, mix the days up, mix the hours up. It um when I was still working in case management, we tried to encourage folks that were on um routine pain medicine prescribed to make sure they had an arcane in the house and that family members know about it for that reason.
SPEAKER_00:Yep. Um and that's a good thing if you are introducing it to your church. Likely, if you have an older congregation, there's someone taking an opioid for pain relief. Um, and so making sure they have access to it just in case, because you just never know.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, that when we when we publicized that we were beginning to have Narcan available, that was the first response that we got, actually, was from an older congregant that came up that said, I'm taking pain management, but I'm also very forgetful. And so I'm glad you brought that up, Randy, because for us that has been the immediate need. But we've also had some that have disappeared from our AED, which I'm trusting, which is exactly why we do that, you know. Um, which I I I trust that there are some folks that wanted to do that rather um anonymously, which which is fine. I I think that's that shows that the need is there, so I'm grateful that we started doing that.
SPEAKER_04:Well, and with no judgment, we don't know who people love, who's in their lives.
SPEAKER_00:Exactly. We have a uh a program in our church, and so we keep the AA room stocked with it as well, just so that can be down there and they don't have to ask anybody to receive it.
SPEAKER_03:Wes, you said there were some places we could go to get a get it uh without having to pay for it.
SPEAKER_00:Yes.
SPEAKER_03:Uh what were those places?
SPEAKER_00:So the first step would be to call your local health department. So you're um in Iradow County?
SPEAKER_03:Yes, sir.
SPEAKER_00:Um I would call the Iradle County Health Department and see if uh they have some to distribute. Um you can also call uh the link and I can send this out. If you shoot me an email, I will send out the the slideshow. Uh Steven just put it in the the chat box, knockstonesaves-nc.org, and that is for institutions in North Carolina to receive a grant where you'll essentially get a case of it um for free.
SPEAKER_01:I will say, Wes, I have tried to apply for that twice and have not heard back either time. So if somebody else has more luck than I do, please let me know and shoot me an email.
SPEAKER_00:Um it took our um our congregational nurse a lot of effort to get it.
SPEAKER_01:So I don't know. So I'm gonna keep on bugging them, but um, so they'll send you like when you say a case, you mean like like how much like 24 doses, yeah, like 24 packs.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, yeah.
unknown:Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:Well, I'm gonna keep on bugging them, but yeah, I'm yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:It it may take quite a bit of work. That's why I say the health department first. They'll probably be more responsive.
SPEAKER_01:And as I said, if any of y'all here in Guilford County, I put the the name of the person who's who's my um uh who's who's my source. Uh her name is Amanda Clark, and she works uh in the injury and drug prevention uh department part portion of the health department. So if any of y'all in Guilford County, just let me know. Any other questions?
SPEAKER_03:Say thank you.
SPEAKER_01:Yes, thank you, thank you, thank you, Wes. I appreciate we appreciate you taking time out of your um day. I'm sure I believe I speak for Wes when I say that he's he's available. If there's any follow-up questions, to shoot him an email. Um, and just in case any of y'all were coming in a little bit late, um, we're gonna share this video with the Presbytery and um y'all have permission to share this video once we distribute it to whomever it might be helpful for. Um so thank y'all so much. Wes, would you be so kind as to close us in a word of prayer?
SPEAKER_00:I would love to. Let's pray. Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for this day, for your providence in our lives, your love that nurtures us. We give you thanks that you have called us to be people who bring health and healing to this world, just as you bring health and healing through Jesus Christ. As we go out into our communities equipped to save lives when folks have overdosed, we pray that we would be in the right place at the right time, that we would have the courage to do what is necessary to help the people in need, to see that they are able to move from a place of difficulty and uh depression or whatever the feelings they may have are, to see that there is hope and there is a future that can be brighter. Yes, we pray in the name of Christ. Amen.
SPEAKER_01:All right, thank you, Wes. Thank you, everybody, for being here and have a wonderful Thanksgiving and take care.
SPEAKER_03:Thank you. Thanks for having me. Thanks, Wes.