Credit: Friends of Tina Davis
A harm reduction effort started in West Virginia that is now an event nationally focused on saving lives will take place this Thursday with Bucks County participating in Save a Life Day
On Sept. 24, 2026, communities across the U.S. will be hosting free naloxone events for Save a Life Day, an annual day of action in its seventh year.
Save a Life Day aims to save lives via one of the simplest countermeasures to the overdose crisis: widespread naloxone access and education. Naloxone is an easy-to-use nasal spray that works to reverse opioid overdoses. Since it was approved by the FDA over 50 years ago, this formerly prescription-only medication became an over-the-counter medication in 2023.
Nationwide, more than 750 free naloxone events currently cover the map – including 10 in Bucks County.
Save a Life Day works to promote year-round low-barrier naloxone access and ongoing anti-stigma work. National Save a Life Day Coordinator, Caroline Wilson, shares that “it takes hundreds of event organizers and thousands of volunteers to make this happen. It’s a special day of naloxone distribution because we get to reach a broader audience, connect with new people, and hear their stories.” This nationwide day of action is also powered by a couple dozen sponsors. Major sponsors include Healing Appalachia, a music festival and philanthropic organization that promotes prevention and recovery efforts, and Harm Reduction Therapeutics, makers of the 3 mg naloxone product, RiVive.
A full list of participating states and counties, plus a map of locations can be found at www.savealife.day. Locations for Bucks County include:
- Bucks County Administration Building
55 E. Court Street, Doylestown, PA 18901 | 8:30 am – 4:30 pm- Court Street Entrance
- Bucks Human Services Connect – The Hub (1st Floor)*
- Bucks County Free Library Quakertown Branch
401 West Mill Street, Quakertown, PA 18951 | 10 am – 3 pm - Family Service Association of Bucks County*
4 Cornerstone Drive, Langhorne, PA 19047 | 9 am – 5 pm - Family Service Association of Bucks County
134 B Mill Road, Quakertown, PA 18951 | 9 am – 5 pm - Penndel Mental Health Center Outpatient Center
1517 Durham Road, Langhorne PA 19047 | 10 am – 4 pm - PRO-ACT’s Southern Bucks Recovery Community Center*
1286 Veterans Highway, Bristol, PA 19007 | 8:30 am – 4:30 pm - Rosewood Recovery
140 Terry Drive, Suite 18, Newtown, PA 18940 | 8:30 am – 4:30 pm - St. Luke’s Grand View Hospital
Main Entrance – 700 Lawn Avenue, Sellersville, PA 18960 | 10 am – 1 pm - St. Luke’s Penn Foundation Recovery Center Outpatient Building*
807 Lawn Avenue, Sellersville, PA 18960 | 8 am – 8 pm - St. Luke’s Upper Bucks Campus
Main Entrance – 3000 St. Luke’s Drive, Quakertown, PA 18951 | 11 am – 2 pm
All attendees will receive naloxone and information about local resources.
Since 2021, the nonprofit SOAR WV has been coordinating this event, growing it from a two-county pilot in West Virginia, to a fully national movement in 2025. Sarah Stone, co-director for SOAR WV, shares how “there’s something magical about knowing that on the same day, people in communities everywhere, are connected by the simple belief that every life is worth saving.”
This year’s theme is Elevate Harm Reduction, intended to highlight and promote evidence-based strategies, such as syringe programs and drug testing, that save lives, mitigate disease transmission, and prevent deadly infections. Earlier this year, federal grants prohibited the phrase “harm reduction” and even “never use alone” messaging, as well as funding for various life-saving supplies. “With Save a Life Day’s 2026 theme of promoting harm reduction, we’re trying to return some public health sanity to the conversation,” said Joe Solomon, co-director of SOAR WV.
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