Loading...Greeneville, Tennessee—St. James Episcopal Church recently led a successful fund-raising drive in Greene County to purchase Naloxone (NARCAN) for Greeneville police officers and Greene County Sheriff deputies. Narcan is a nasal spray, easily administered, that revives a person from certain death after overdosing on opioids or heroin.
In cooperation with Greene County churches and concerned citizens, $3,600 was raised to purchase 48 kits through the Public Health Department in Johnson City. In addition, Corley’s Pharmacy in Greeneville will purchase 30 kits each for the Greeneville Police and the Greeneville Sheriff’s Department.
The police are most often the first to arrive on the scene when an overdose has occurred, especially in rural Greene County. “The effects of addiction are seen on a daily basis in our area,” said Greene County Sheriff Pat Hankins, “and I feel confident that if we can equip our officers with (Narcan), many lives will be saved.”
Greeneville Police Chief Terry Cannon agreed, saying he “was very appreciative for the opportunity to participate in such a tremendous way to save lives and keep families together.”
St James parishioner Mark Honeycutt spearheaded the effort while Interim Rector Chris Starr worked with church leaders in the community. “We’ve reached and exceeded our goal for this campaign,” Father Starr said, “and are grateful for support of so many in this community.”
