CONCORD UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATING IN ‘BE THE ONE’ INITIATIVE
CONTACT:
Sarah M. Pritchett
Concord University
Office of Advancement
PO Box 1000, Athens, WV 24712
(304) 384-6312, news@concord.edu
www.concord.edu
After 4 p.m.
pitzer@concord.edu
Office: 304-384-5211
Cell: 304-320-6405
February 9, 2022
CONCORD UNIVERSITY PARTICIPATING IN ‘BE THE ONE’ INITIATIVE
ATHENS, W.Va. – Concord University is participating in an overdose prevention initiative, created for West Virginia college and university campuses, entitled, “Be The One”. The initiative is the first of its kind and will focus on opioid overdose prevention from a bystander’s perspective, encouraging students, staff, and faculty to Be The One to save a life.
The first project of the initiative includes the distribution and installation of 50 opioid overdose rescue kits, also known as “Naloxboxes”, on college and university campuses across the Mountain State. These kits contain two doses of the opioid reversal medication, Naloxone, and training materials instructing individuals how to administer Naloxone during an active overdose.
Be The One was created by the West Virginia Collegiate Recovery Program (WVCRN) and the West Virginia Drug Intervention Institute (WV DII), with the goal of increasing prevention and recovery efforts on West Virginia campuses, educating individuals in medication safety, and training them how to properly respond to an overdose.
“Concord has a unique opportunity to lead the way in expanding the life-saving tools available on campus. We are not waiting until something happens to take action,” stated Angela Fedele, CU’s Prevention and Recovery Program Director.
“Concord’s Prevention and Recovery Program started in 2019 and the student organization began in 2021, she said. “Naloxone training is available weekly from our PRSS (Peer Recovery Support Specialist), Brandon Whitehouse, both in-person and face-to-face. Prior training is not necessary to utilize the Naloxboxes.”
“We believe Naloxone should be easily accessible everywhere and through our partnerships with WVDII, colleges and universities around the state, we are decreasing stigma and providing vital resources to help save lives,” explained Susie Mullens, director of the WVCRN.
As someone who worked on college campuses for 25 years, and responded to campus overdose, Dr. Susan Bissett, president of the WV DII believes that this initiative is much needed.
“College campuses are representative of the communities in which they are housed; and they are often the hub for activity in their town,” said Dr. Bissett. “Our campus buildings have AEDs, first aid kits and fire extinguishers and so the Naloxbox is just one more way to keep our campuses, our students and our communities safe.”
For more information on the Be The One statewide initiative contact Dr. Susan Bissett at susan@wvdii.org or Susie Mullens at mullens20@marshall.edu or call (681) 205-2287.
Please note that the state of the COVID-19 pandemic and Concord’s adherence to CDC guidelines
could impact how and if events are held. For the most up-to-date information, always check
https://www.concord.edu/About/Return-to-Campus-Plan.aspx
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In keeping with the CDC guidelines, Concord recommends double-masking.
Single-ply masks, gators, or vented masks are unacceptable.
We appreciate your compliance as we do our best to keep students, employees and visitors to campus safe.
-CU-
Persons with disabilities should contact Nancy Ellison, 1-304-384-6086 or 1-800-344-6679 extension 6086, if special assistance is required for access to an event scheduled by the University on campus.
