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💉 Walton County approved a resolution declaring June 6 as “Revive Awareness Day” to promote opioid overdose awareness and Naloxone training.
🏥 Two public events will be held that day to train residents on how to administer Naloxone, with no harm caused if given in non-overdose situations.
📊 In 2024, Walton County recorded 159 suspected opioid overdoses, prompting expanded efforts in prevention and community education.
The Walton County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) met this week
and were given a presentation on continued plans by the state to combat
the opioid crisis in Florida. A presentation on the upcoming “Revive
Awareness Day” was given by Chief Health Strategist, Ryan Mims, of
the Walton County Health Department. The purpose of his presentation
was focused on building continued recognition in the state regarding the
opioid epidemic. Mr. Mims requested the BCC sign the resolution
recognizing Friday, June 6, 2025 as “Revive Awareness Day” in Walton
County.
In his presentation to the commissioners, Mims shared that there are two
events scheduled on June 6 [times yet to be determined] to build awareness and train all attendees on how to administer Naloxone (Narcan®), a medication that can restore breathing to someone who has overdosed on opioids.
“Naloxone is a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose. It is an opioid antagonist. This means that it attaches to opioid receptors and
reverses and blocks the effects of other opioids,” The National Institutes of Health says.
Other indicators that may accompany an opioid overdose include:
unconsciousness, very small pupils, vomiting, an inability to speak, faint
heartbeat, limp arms and legs, pale skin, and purple lips and fingernails.
The proclamation, which the BCC unanimously approved supports
two events that will be held within the county at North Walton Doctors
Hospital and the South Walton Fire District. The objective for the training
events, according to Mims, will be “to train the community on how to
implement and use Naloxone.” He continued, “The spray [that comes in a
box] is administered up into the nostril of someone who is non-responsive.
Suppose you [the person administering the medication] expect [or determine] a potential overdose [is happening to a victim due to opioids], but it is not an actual overdose. In that case, the Naloxone spray will not have a negative effect.”
This means that administering Naloxone when there has not been an overdose of opioids will not have a negative impact.
Commissioner Donna Johns (District 4) affirmed the decision by the BCC.
“Hopefully, this [Naloxone administration and training] will
save many lives,” Johns said.
The Declaration of the BCC acknowledged that in 2023, the USDA approved Naloxone as the first over-the-counter drug available
to counteract the deadly impact of opioids. It also noted that in 2024,
Walton County had 159 suspected overdoses due to opioid use.
The declaration stated that Walton County “encourages residents to
engage with community-based organizations to increase awareness
regarding the hazards of opioids and the accessibility of Naloxone as a
mechanism for reversing the effects of opioids.”
Pro Communi Bono
