W.Va. – OVP HEALTH, a Huntington-based provider of emergency department, hospitalist, primary care, and substance use disorder treatment services, has committed to placing ONEbox™ opioid emergency response kits in all 28 of its outpatient treatment facilities and corporate offices in WV, KY, OH, SC and VA.
The ONEbox™ is an on-demand, one-of-a-kind, technology-enabled opioid overdose rescue response kit intended to contain two doses of naloxone, an opioid reversal medication along with personal protective equipment. The box also contains instantaneous video instructions (in both English and Spanish) that are activated when ONEbox™ is opened. Using a by-stander intervention model, 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 ONEbox™ was invented by WV native & entrepreneur, Joe Murphy, CEO of Murphy Media.
“Drug overdoses caused by fentanyl are now the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 45,” explained Dr. Susan Bissett, president of the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute. “OVP HEALTH is the first treatment provider in the United States to recognize the need for naloxone training and access for the population most at-risk for overdose.”
“In response to a rapidly growing opioid crisis in our communities, OVP HEALTH began providing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and counseling services in 2011,” said Robert A. Hess, MD, president and co-founder. “Since that time, we’ve been able to help thousands of people turn their lives around and find recovery. But also during that period, thousands of others have lost their lives due to overdoses. Many of those deaths could quite possibly have been prevented with greater community access to naloxone, which is why we think this ONEbox™ initiative is so important and valuable.”
To learn more about the ONEbox™ and preventing overdose visit: www.wvdii.org/onebox or call the WV Drug Intervention Institute at 681-205-2287.