Narcan to be distributed Thursday in Cape

An event set for this week aims to distribute information about drug overdoses and how to curtail them, and get the drug Narcan into the hands of people who might need it.

Recovery advocate Kristi Booth said her organization, Recover Out Loud Harm Reduction and Recovery Services, will host a Narcan Drop In from noon to 6 p.m. Thursday at St. James AME Church, 516 North St. in Cape Girardeau.

“The Cape area has experienced an uptick of overdoses (recently),” Booth wrote in an email Friday. “We thought the best way to respond to this was to get Narcan into the hands of drug users, family and friends of people who use drugs.”

Booth wrote that bags will be available with information on spotting an overdose, how to administer Narcan and information on Good Samaritan laws in Missouri.

Renita Green, pastor of St. James AME Church, said harm reduction is a niche need that often goes unmet.

In a Facebook post Friday, Green wrote the church is ordering fentanyl test strips to be distributed at the event if they arrive in time.

“People can survive an overdose if treated,” Green wrote. “Narcan saves lives.”