Berrien County hosting Narcan Drive-Thru aiming to decline overdose deaths

BERRIEN COUNTY, Mich-- According to the Berrien County Health Department, opioid overdoses resulting in death are on the decline.

Andrea Loveless who works for the Health Department says since 2021 the number of overdoses has declined by 47%, which she says is in part thanks to an increase of accessibility of Narcan.

“In 2022 there were 46 deaths by opioids, and in 2024 there were 22. So, the number is trending downward, which is what we want, but we really want to see that number get to zero. The more people who are trained on understanding not only how to use Narcan, but all the different locations where they can pick up free Narcan, the more lives we can save.” 

The Berrien County Health Department is hosting Drive-Thru Narcan Training where you can receive instructions of how to administer Narcan to a person who may be overdosing. 

The drive-thrus will take place at BCHD’s Benton Harbor location on Aug. 31 and its Niles location on Sept. 1. The event will offer two packs of Narcan along with the training and some other materials that can help when administering Narcan. 

To register for the Berrien County Narcan Drive-Thru visit: https://berrienpublichealthdeptscheduling.as.me/NarcanDriveThroughTraining.