Moore’s Bike Shop hosted an event distributing free Naloxone in honor of “Save a Life Day” on Thursday, Sept. 25.
James Moore, owner of the shop, joined representatives from Clearview Recovery Center, Woodland Recovery Center and The Estate to hand out Naloxone nasal spray to the Hattiesburg community. Naloxone is a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose from prescription opioids, heroin or fentanyl.
“For six years at the bike shop, we've been handing out no-cost naloxone to anyone who comes in asking for it that has an addiction issue,” Moore said. “But we wanted to bring greater exposure to it through this public event.”
Moore partners with the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, a relationship that has allowed him to distribute hundreds of doses over the past six years. He said the medication has resulted in numerous successful overdose reversals. The event was so well-attended that the first box of kits ran out within hours.
“For the first time in decades, the addiction deaths in the United States have fallen, and they fell a lot last year by 25% simply because of greater access to this overdose-reversing drug,” Moore said.
Naloxone kits are available at no cost to all Mississippi residents, who can order them online for delivery. Information on when and how to use the spray, including instructional videos, is available on the state’s website.
Moore said his advocacy is deeply personal.
“It was ten years ago that I found my son deceased from an overdose,” Moore said. “I didn’t realize until weeks afterwards that had I known of Naloxone, and when I found him, had there been a spark of life left in him, one spray in one nostril might have had him standing up, talking within a minute or two.”
Jessica Etchison, territory manager at The Estate Residential Addiction Treatment Center, also encouraged the public to learn how to use Naloxone.
“Even if it is not an opioid overdose, it is safe to give the Naloxone nasal spray because it will not affect them,” Etchison said. “You would always rather be safe than sorry.”
Moore said he hopes to host more events in the future and will continue to spread awareness.
“You never know when you’re watching someone take their last breath, and if you have this in your car, you can make the difference in that person living or dying,” he said.
