Fairfield County Health Awarded Project Dawn Grant

Article Presented By Kingston National Bank…

The Fairfield County Health Department (FCHD) was recently awarded an $80,000 grant and named an official Project DAWN distribution site by the Ohio Department of Health. 

Project DAWN (Deaths Avoided With Naloxone) is a network of opioid overdose education and naloxone distribution programs across the state. FCHD joins more than 145 registered sites in an effort to reduce overdoses and educate Ohioans on the impacts of opioid misuse, abuse, and addition.

“Over the past three years, more than 160 Fairfield County residents have died due to unintentional drug overdoses, primarily due to fentanyl and its analogs appearing in illicit and counterfeit prescription drugs. By providing Project Dawn kits to the community, we can expand access to Naloxone, which has only one critical function: to prevent overdose death by reversing the effects of opioids, and has no potential for abuse.” said Fairfield County Health Commissioner, Joe Ebel. 

As a registered Project DAWN site, FCHD will provide prevention education training and Naloxone kits to individuals, schools, businesses, churches, and first responders. Individuals interested in becoming trained in how to administer Naloxone can walk-in to the health department anytime during regular business hours. Organizations, agencies, and businesses can schedule staff training, professional development or continuing education opportunities to be held on-site. 

Project DAWN trainings can be tailored to meet your needs and upon completion, all participants will receive a kit containing educational materials, two doses of Naloxone, Fentanyl test strips, and personal protective equipment (PPE) including face shields and medical-grade rubber gloves. 

“Opiate overdose is a serious public health concern, so we want to make it as easy as possible to get Naloxone into the community, said Bobby Persinger, FCHD Health Promotion Supervisor “the training, whether you come to the Health Department or we come to you, is simple, quick, and available to anyone in Fairfield County.” 

To schedule a training or if you have questions, please contact Megan Baker, FCHD Project DAWN Coordinator at (740) 652-2800.