318

overdose calls to Denton Police Department in 2023 (that’s 21 calls per 10,000 people / Denton’s population of 148,000+)

148

overdose calls to the Denton Fire Department in 2023

2,191

felony drug cases filed with the Denton County District Attorney in 2023

4

warrants for drug-related deaths in just a one week period in October 2023

 

Judge Steve Burgess and Sharon Roland, Founder of ROO and Director of North Texas Overdose Awareness Day, speak at the December Luncheon.

YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE BY HAVING NARCAN ONSITE AT YOUR BUSINESS

At the 2023 December Chamber Membership Luncheon, 158th District Court Judge Steve Burgess, Denton County, Texas Courts, and three incredibly courageous mothers shared insight into drugs and addiction in Denton. As a business community, it is our job to stay aware of issues impacting the place we live, work, and play. By knowing the signs, symptoms, and how to react in an overdose situation, we have the opportunity to save lives, whether that be in our places of work or out in the community.

Thanks to our friends at Reacting to Opioid Overdose (ROO), a 501(c)3 organization whose purpose is to unite and educate the community about overdose, Denton businesses may have Narcan (or generic naloxone) delivered to their business.

We encourage you to add Narcan/naloxone to your first aid kit or mount next to your fire extinguisher. You may never need it, but if you do, you can save a life.

Courthouse on the Square lit purple for North Texas Overdose Awareness Day. Image courtesy of Denton County.

“Anyone can carry naloxone [Narcan], give it to someone experiencing an overdose, and potentially save a life.”
— The Center for Disease control

signs of an overdose:

  • Unconsciousness or inability to awaken

  • Slow or shallow breathing

  • Heavy nod or not responsive to stimulation

  • Breathing difficulty such as choking sounds or a gurgling/snoring noise when someone can’t be awakened

  • Fingernails or lips turning blue or purple

  • Cold, clammy skin or graying of the skin

what to do in an overdose situation:

  1. Try to get the person to respond or wake them up

  2. Shout their name or “are you okay?”. Shake their shoulder

  3. If no response, grind your knuckles into their sternum

  4. If no response, call 911

  5. Lay them on their back. Tilt their head back. Check for airway obstruction

  6. Administer one dose of Narcan spray into their nostril

  7. Start rescue breathing if no pulse is detected. Continue until EMT arrives

  8. After 2-3 minutes, if not yet breathing, administer a second dose of Narcan in the other nostril

  9. Stay with the person until help arrives

  10. IF YOU MUST LEAVE, turn them on their side

3 Things to Know About Narcan:

  • Narcan/naloxone is safe to use on anyone, even if opioids aren’t present. It will not harm someone if you give it to them and they are not overdosing on opioids.

  • Texas law provides you with immunity from civil, criminal, and professional liability because you are acting in good faith to save a life. A person who, in good faith and with reasonable care, administers (or chooses not to administer) naloxone to a person experiencing an overdose is not subject to criminal prosecution, civil liability, or professional licensing sanction.

  • While Narcan packaging has a printed expiration date (date through which the manufacturer guarantees 100% efficiency), Narcan is over 95% effective up to 30 years past that date according to independent research by the American Pharmaceutical Association even when subjected to extreme heat and cold.