More than 100 people gathered for a walk aimed at bringing attention to overdoses in Iowa and to fight for the use of Naloxone.
Naloxone, known as an opiate antagonist, is a narcotic drug that can reverse the affects of other narcotics, like one that would cause an overdose, according to the Harm Reduction Coalition.
The group, representing Quad Cities Harm Reduction, walked from Lafayette Park in Davenport, Iowa to Schwiebert Park in Rock Island.
President of QC Harm Reduction, Kim Brown, R.N., said the reason they picked that route was symbolic to the fact that the State of Illinois allows Naloxone, and the State of Iowa has no access law.
She said the group is fighting on behalf of Iowa to have access to the opiate antagonist. When administered to an overdose patient, Naloxone works in about five minutes, according to a FAQ page by Roosevelt University.
The walk took place Saturday, August 29, 2015, and though rain had been a threat, Brown encouraged the group to walk on.
"It's kind of cool, and I did have a couple folks worried about the rain," Brown noted, "and I just said, "It's rain, it won't hurt us, bring your umbrellas, let's walk. We're losing 120 kids every day to overdose and it's not necessary."
2015 was the second year for the walk, and Brown said they are going to keep fighting for access laws because overdose is a problem that can be fixed.