by Trish Rudder
A container called the Naloxbox with free boxes of the life-saving antidote to an opioid overdose is now available in the lobby of Valley Health’s War Memorial Hospital on Fairview Drive in Berkeley Springs.
Partnering with Valley Health, Life or Drugs Tri-State Support, the local organization that works to combat addiction and opioid overdose, the Naloxone box will continually be restocked by Heather Windle, case manager with Life or Drugs.
“It saves lives,” Windle said.

photo by Trish Rudder
According to the West Virginia Department of Human Services, Office of Drug Control Policy’s press release of October 24, “new data comparing the first four months of 2023 to the same period in 2024 shows a provisional 34% decrease in overdose deaths, marking another significant improvement from last month’s 28%” since Naloxone is available now without a prescription. However, the over-the-counter cost is about $45 for one box.
Last Friday, the Life or Drugs team and Valley Health War Memorial staff members were together in the hospital lobby to launch this local Naloxbox initiative.
Melody Stotler, executive director of Life or Drugs, Tri-State Support, called it “a program designed to make naloxone – an essential life-saving medication – accessible to everyone in our community, free from stigma and barriers.”
“Nalobox is currently available in the lobby of the Emergency Department at War Memorial Hospital. We recognize the significant need for this resource in our community and are considering ways to potentially increase its availability in the future,” said Heather Sigel, Vice President of War Memorial Hospital.
No permission is required to open the Naloxone container and take a box that contains two doses of the nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose of street drugs such as heroin and fentanyl if administered quickly.
“Yet many [people] still feel hesitant to seek out this crucial medication due to societal stigma and misconceptions about its use,” Stotler wrote in a press release.
“The Naloxbox initiative aims to eliminate these barriers by providing easy access to naloxone” with kits and information on how to use them, “ensuring that anyone can respond swiftly and effectively in an emergency,” she wrote.
“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to save a life,” said Stotler.