BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
KERMIT, W.Va. — The Kermit Council welcomed the ONEbox, an emergency opioid overdose reversal kit, to their meeting Monday. They also officially announced the date for this year’s Kermit Fall Festival as Oct. 5.
Kirstyn Ooten, a representative from the West Virginia Drug Institute working in Mingo and Logan counties, presented the ONEbox, which includes on-demand training and essential tools to counteract opioid overdoses and save lives.
“It’s completely free and you can hang it up or put it in a drawer,” Ooten said.
She explained that the box contains Narcan nasal spray, personal protective equipment (PPE), a CPR mask, gloves, wipes and other necessary items.
Ooten then showcased a unique feature of the kit: a tab on the inside of the lid that, when pulled, reveals an on-demand webinar. This video provides step-by-step instructions on how to administer Narcan. According to Ooten, the video monitor remains charged for about five years, with a charger included for extended use.
“I wanted to introduce you all to this and see where you would like to put it here in town,” said Ooten. “I can give you as many as you want and train anybody on how to use it.”
She assured the council that the box is “completely safe to have around children” but must be stored indoors.
Ooten has 28 boxes available for distribution in Kermit. Council members suggested placing them at the fire department, water department, town hall, local restaurants, doctor’s offices, the library, post office and gymnasium.
The ONEbox that Ooten demonstrated contained 24 doses of Narcan. She mentioned that she has 100 doses at her house and is ready to provide more when needed.
Councilman Wilburn Hawky Preece noted that the fire department keeps around 40 doses on hand, emphasizing the need to have the life-saving Narcan readily available.
The requirement for providing a free ONEbox is that one person must receive training at each site, Ooten said, a process that takes about 10 minutes.
The ONEbox, typically costing $300, is being distributed for free thanks to “federal grants,” she said.
“If a person comes to me and says they want to go into treatment, we have funds to send them,” added Ooten. “All I have to do is make a phone call and get transportation.”
She stated she would return Tuesday with the requested boxes and provide training to personnel at Town Hall.
Council members appreciated the concept of the ONEbox and thanked Ooten for bringing it to their meeting.
“That’s a pretty neat deal, especially for someone who runs on a situation and don’t know what they’re doing,” Preece commented.
The Drug Intervention Institute introduced the ONEbox at Healing Appalachia 2022, where they trained approximately 10,000 individuals before Tyler Childers’ headline performance. Since then the kit has been placed on every college campus in the state.
For more information, contact Ooten at 304-784-6889.
In other business, Mayor Charles Sparks announced that as part of the water improvement project, the contractor would clean up the sludge pond at the treatment plant.
Council members turned their attention to the Fourth of July fireworks show, discussing the large attendance.
“Everybody is telling me that was the most people they’ve ever seen in Kermit,” Council member Tammy Preece Hodge said.
Council member J.W. Endicott expressed appreciation of the watermelon at the Independence Day celebration, saying, “That was the best watermelon I’ve ever tasted.”
Announcing the date of the fall festival, Hodge stated, “It’s the first Saturday in October—Oct. 5. People will have more money since it’s closer to the first of the month.” Details will be announced in the months leading up to the event.
Following a discussion of the town’s leash law and the animals that are roaming freely, the meeting concluded with the approval of monthly financials.