A local group hopes they can help reduce drug overdoses through education and free access to overdose reversal drugs.
O.D. Aid is on a mission to get more people trained to use Narcan and Naloxone. On Thursday, the day before International Overdose Awareness Day, members of O.D. Aid will partner with Texas Overdose Naloxone Initiative to provide workshops and training to the public on how to administer the drug.
Fourty-five people were trained Wednesday and 75 people are registered for the Thursday event scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at True Worth Place, 1513 E. Presidio St. in Fort Worth.
The local group raised thousands of dollars to offer the training free of charge, along with free Narcan and Naloxone kits.
“Every person registered for the training will leave with a free kit. At least two doses will be inside,” said Vicki Jinks who is one of the group’s organizers.
Her passion stems from the grief she felt after losing her son, Seth. He was 20-years-old when he passed away from an opioid overdose.
In 2017, almost 50,000 people died from an opioid overdose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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"If we can get this in the hands of families and peers who know how to use Narcan or Naloxone, we have much better chance of saving a lot more lives and getting people to the point of fighting for recovery," Jinks said. "One of our mottos is we love people where they are. It’s a tough battle, but I’m up for it.”
To register for the event go here.
Other events include:
- Aug. 31 Overdose Awareness Day in Fort Worth at the Westside Unitarian Universalist Church.
- Aug. 31 Let’s Talk Opioids hosted by New Season’s Dallas County Treatment Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lake Cliff Park, 300 East Colorado Boulevard in Dallas.
