ODs are real, folks, and not to be ignored or swept under the rug

I was at a small local music festival last weekend, here on Hawaii’s Big Island, and a young guy almost died as we tried to revive him. He wasn’t breathing and barely had a pulse.

Through a team effort, and with the help of two doses of nasal-administered Narcan, we got him conscious again and perhaps saved his life. The ambulance and police arrived shortly after and took him to the hospital in Hilo to monitor him just in case he lapsed after the Narcan wore off.

At least one person a week is dying on the Big Island from drug overdoses, with fentanyl being the main cause. It is usually mixed in to street drugs without the person’s knowledge.

Statewide about one person a day is dying from overdoses.

This is a massively important issue that is simply not getting enough attention — b/c there’s not any money in mitigating this epidemic.

Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death in the US for 18–45 year olds. For every death there are about 14 non-fatal overdoses.

The festival organizer was smart enough to have Narcan available.

I found out two days ago that Kumukahi Health Clinic in Hilo is giving out Narcan for free. I grabbed a few packs and am now keeping them in my car.

Find out more from the Hawaii Island Fentanyl Task Force here: https://drive.google.com/.../1oA6A1L4sc2O0Hwl3c15ShM.../view