Bar and restaurant workers getting trained to save lives with narcan
CLEARWATER, Fla. - As a peer support specialist for those in addiction recovery, Franki knows tragically it can be a matter of life or death.
"I've personally lost four people just this past year to fentanyl. It's so scary, and it breaks my heart," said Franki.
That's why she wants to be part of a solution to the opioid crisis. She kept one person that she assisted from becoming a tragic statistic.
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"Noticed that girl had stopped breathing, quick action is what we took. We got the Narcan and proceeded to insert that," said Franki.
William Atkinson, the Executive Director of the Recovery Epicenter Foundation, is stocking up on Narcan to prevent other close calls, like the one Franki experienced.
"The Bay Area specifically, we have one of the highest overdose and death rates throughout the entire state of Florida," shared Atkinson.
With that in mind, he's distributing Narcan to places where people may frequent, like bars and restaurants.
"Generally, the frontline workers, the waitresses, the bartenders, the hostess. Those are the individuals who are getting the training," explained Atkinson.
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"Especially bars, nightclubs, things like that. People are going out. They're having a good time. I mean, they think that they could use even marijuana recreationally. And unfortunately, in today's day and age, no drug is safe on the street. Everything is, you know, coming up laced with fentanyl. And it's very scary because it's an instant death if there's not, you know, resources for the life to be saved," said Franki.
Just like Franki, servers may not be prepared to save someone before it's too late.
"I think that everywhere there is a potential for overdose, there should be resources available," explained Franki.
For more information about the Recovery Epicenter Foundation, click here.