Ohio church handing out heroin antidote at Sunday service

A church in Northeast Ohio is committed to saving the lives of people in their community. So much so that it is handing out Narcan, a heroin antidote, at its Sunday service to those who need it.

Last Friday, Reverend Tim Williams of Greater Victory Christian Ministries in Lorain, Ohio, told WKYC that the church would be providing the opiate antidote nasal spray to addicts and their families — without requiring them to approach law enforcement, something addicts are often hesitant to do.

"We believe there shouldn’t be a separation between health and faith," Williams told the Chronicle-Telegram. “If they aren’t going to where the medication is at, if at all possible, can we bring the medication to where they are?”

The unconventional idea comes from Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided with Naloxone), a community-based overdose education and antidote distribution program.

As overdoses in the area reach record levels — nearly 60 people have died in the county this year — Narcan, also called naloxane, can save a life if it is taken within minutes of an overdose of heroin or prescription pain medications.

Since March, more than 60 lives have been saved by Narcan.

"We aren’t hopeless, but sometimes we feel like ‘What can we do?’ Any opportunity that we have," Williams said.

Mercy Regional Medical Centre provided 50 doses to the church, paid for by a grant. On Sunday, the Lorain County Health Department helped with risk assessments and prescriptions, “handed out on the spot.” Each Narcan kit included instructions, counselling from an addiction prevention specialist or former addict, and a 20-minute video featuring parents who’ve lost children to fatal overdoses.

Williams said he expected the supply of 50 doses to go within an hour. He told WKYC that he’s determined to find additional doses for anyone else who shows up in need.

"If someone says that we’re enabling, OK. Say what you want to say. If someone says you’re giving them a ticket to keep getting high, say what you want to say," said Williams. “But I suggest for the mother or father who lost their kid, that’s probably not something you want to say to them.”

"The balance of having a life saved so far outweighs all those other pieces it doesn’t matter," he added.