In today’s world, the threat of opioid overdoses is very real. In 2023 alone, over 96,000 people in the U.S.A. died from opioid overdose. In the face of this threat, we started Nearby Naloxone, a project working to place and maintain placements of naloxone throughout our community. Our stations help ensure that local opioid overdoses will not be fatal. To start, our goal was simple; to place Naloxone at every AED station in Wallowa County Oregon. We have completed this goal, with currently over 140 placements, and are now maintaining and replacing these stations, while still slowly expanding throughout Wallowa County.
Nearby Naloxone.
Project Heartbeat.
Dick Burch, a resident of Joseph, Oregon, started Project Heartbeat to save lives. For the past decade he was systematically placed more than 120 AEDs around Wallowa County, working to save lives by providing public access to defibrillation. Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are portable devices designed to help people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. They analyze the heart's rhythm and, if necessary, deliver an electrical shock to help re-establish a normal rhythm. Dick also provides training in CPR and First Aid.