LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — International Overdose Awareness Day unites government agencies and grassroots organizations aiming to stop a devastating crisis festering in Southern Nevada and across the country.
Drug overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the United States, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics. The number of fentanyl overdoses has doubled in Southern Nevada in recent years, according to Health District data.
Krystal Riccio, a professor of pharmacy practice at Roseman University and collaborative practice pharmacist with Behavioral Health Group, said the key to success is not firing people to choose abstinence but instead focusing on harm reduction. Those efforts include access to fentanyl test strips and Narcan, which can reverse an opioid overdose.
The increased availability of fentanyl is partially responsible for the change in messaging, Riccio said, citing the affordability and ease of which to make and transport the drug. In addition, fentanyl is highly addictive and 50 times more potent than heroin, Riccio said.
In 2023, the Nevada Legislature created the Clark County Regional Opioid Task Force, an effort by experts and leaders to evaluate data relating to opioid overdose fatalities and near fatalities in Clark County, searching to find gaps in service. As those efforts continue, Riccio said more grassroots organizations continue to make headway in the battle.
“We go into schools now, continuously throughout the year, educating about the risks associated with some of this drug use, ways to protect yourself, and ways that prevent it from happening, Riccio said.”
Not just schools, the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino handed out Narcan to every employee Friday. Taylor Davis, a baggage handler at the hotel, said it was important for workers and security at the resort to have access to the lifesaving drug.
“That way, we kind of be the first responder, then we can call the paramedics,” Davis said.
The pop-up distribution was funded by Victoria’s Voice Foundation, a non-profit created by David and Jackie Siegel, the owners of Westgate. They lost their daughter Victoria to an overdose. Gordon Prouty, Westgate’s vice president of public and community affairs, said the presence of Narcan when Victoria overdosed in 2015 would have changed her outcome.
“As David puts it, if first responders had had Narcan when they found Victoria, I wouldn’t even be doing this now because she would be alive today,” Prouty said.
The foundation supplied 2,000 doses, a $100,000 investment into what they call an effort to keep guests and employees safe. Free test strips and Narcan are now available throughout Southern Nevada and without a prescription at pharmacies across the U.S.
