'Make the Right Call': New Campaign Stresses Need for Quick Action in Overdose Cases

"The window of time to save an overdose victim is short. Don't be afraid to call 911."

That message, from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, is the crux of a new campaign, unveiled by the state government Tuesday.

The push for swift citizen action and greater awareness comes as an estimated four people per day die of drug overdoses in Massachusetts, many of them casualties of the state's opioid epidemic.

• READ MORE: Opioid Deaths in Massachusetts for 2015: New Data Released
• Gov. Baker Signs Opioid Abuse Prevention Bill Into Law

The "Make the Right Call" campaign funnels $250,000 toward promotion of Massachusetts' 911 Good Samaritan Law.

Under the law, individuals seeking medical assistance for themselves or someone else experiencing a drug-related overdose, including opioid-related overdoses, do so without the risk of charges of possession of a controlled substance.

Unveiled by the governor and attorney general Tuesday, the new campaign encourages people to call 9-1-1 for emergency medical services at the first signs of a drug overdose. Governor Charlie Baker cast the campaign as "another tool aimed at curbing this horrific public health crisis from our communities.”

The campaign targets active users of opioids and their friends and families. It includes billboards, and advertisements on benches and other public environments where overdoses can take place.

Viewers are directed to the website for more information on what to say when calling 911, what to do while waiting for help to arrive, and where they can access the overdose reversal tool Naloxone, more commonly called Narcan.