Columbus community members gathered at the First Church of God on the east side Thursday night for a Naloxone training session.

Columbus community members gathered at the First Church of God on the east side Thursday night for a Naloxone training session.

City health officials say more people are being saved because of it.

"You don't know who you're going to run across. Or when they're going to fall out. So I just want to be a little bit more prepared and aware of what it is," community member Davida Ray said.

Davida Ray says she's never seen anyone overdose, but she knows what goes on in her community.

"I just find it alarming that this is really going on at this time of day," Ray said.

Ray says if she has to she wants to be ready to save a life.

"I want to be able to know what I'm dealing with. Know the signs, and that way if I can help, I can," Ray said.

Preparing for the worst is brought Ray and about 30 other people to the First Church of God, to learn how to administer Naloxone.

The Columbus Public Health Medical Director, Dr. Mysheika Williams Roberts, says the prevention efforts are working.

"We see more and more individuals who are coming around from an opiate overdose instead of dying. Now we're still seeing an increase in deaths and that's unfortunate, but we think we'd see even more deaths if it weren't for the Naloxone training we're doing at the community level," Dr. Roberts said.

The training session Thursday night comes just after the president announced a public health emergency to fight the nation's opioid epidemic.

Columbus city officials invested in the battle say the announcement is recognition Ohio is not alone in the crisis.

"The more attention we can get to this matter the better, and most importantly the more support and more funding the better," Dr. Roberts said.

Davida Ray says she had no idea the opiate problem plagued so many in her community.

"It's kind of hard to believe you know. I just think it's terrible," Ray said.

She says she's glad she came to learn and she hopes others will attend meetings in the future.

"Maybe now they'll take an interest, cause it's here and it's live," Ray said.