A local nonprofit is making efforts to raise awareness of opioids.
Foundation 45 hosted an event the organization called “Narcan Happy Hour: A Community Conversation” in Deep Ellum on April 4. The organization hopes the event will raise awareness of the ongoing opioid crisis and champion the medication made to counteract it.
Narcan Happy Hour was a free event intended for those 21 and older and took place at Three Links Deep Ellum, 2704 Elm Street.
Foundation 45, a DFW-based nonprofit, aims to raise awareness of the effects of addiction, provide recovery services, and address mental health and suicide in the community. The organization was established in the wake of the deaths of Frankie “Frankie 45” Campagna and Adam Carter from the band Spector 45, who died by suicide in 2011 a week apart from each other.
The advertisement for the event read:
“The purpose of this event is to open up the conversation regarding the opioid crisis and how it is impacting our community. Overdoses are happening at a scary rate in our scene. And we want the community to come together to talk about it! F45 will be providing an open, safe and respectful space for people to come learn more information about this topic and ask questions.”
Topics discussed at the event included signs of an overdose, harm reduction resources, and fentanyl test strips, per NBC DFW.
The venue is well known to the arts community, said Lauren O’Connor, president and executive director of Foundation 45.
“This is a safe space for so many people. So, I think people are going to be a lot more relaxed and be able to have a drink,” said O’Connor, according to NBC DFW. “I think it starts in the music venues, those in the creative communities, especially those touring, that’s where we’re seeing a lot of impact in general substance use,” she continued.
Those in attendance were given doses of Narcan while supplies last. The organization was set to distribute 150 units, according to D Magazine.
The goal of the night, O’Connor said, was to teach people “how to be safe and responsible and how you can help your friends,” according to D Magazine.
“We just want people to be armed with the knowledge to continue to live.”
Narcan is a life-saving medication used to quickly reverse the effects of opioid overdose. The Food and Drug Administration recently made this medication more accessible by placing some doses of it over the counter, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The opioid epidemic has been steadily growing across the state and around the country.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse reported that over 106,000 people in the nation had died from a drug-involved overdose of illicit drugs and opioids in 2021, up from over 90,000 in 2020.
