6th annual Narcan drive-thru event hopes to eliminate overdose deaths entirely

NILES, Mich. -- The Berrien County Health Department held their sixth annual Narcan drive-thru event where participants received training and a free Narcan kit.

Andrea loveless, prevention specialist and the chairperson for the Narcan drive-thru at the Berrien County Health Department says the initiative has shown improvements, with opioid overdose deaths, "so, back in 2022, there were 46 opioid overdose deaths, and in 2024, which is the most recent data we have, it dropped down to 22."

The 15-minute training covers signs of overdose, risk factors, and the SCARE ME acronym for response steps with the goal being, eliminate overdose deaths entirely.

"That acronym teaches you the steps to follow in order to save somebody who might be having a fatal opioid overdose," said Loveless.