The Grassroots Effort to Save Lives: San Francisco and the Overdose Crisis Part 6

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Fentanyl-related deaths among teens more than tripled across the U.S. from 2019 to 2021. And the CDC reports that two thirds of teens who died had someone nearby who didn’t provide an overdose response. Now San Francisco high school students are signing up for training sessions on how to recognize drug abuse and reverse overdoses. And it’s not just teens who want to help. City residents are carrying overdose reversal nasal spray in case they come across someone in need of rescuing. But reversing an overdose isn’t quite as simple as it might sound. In this sixth and final episode of our series on San Francisco and the overdose crisis, we hear about an organization dedicated to training people on how to reverse overdoses, and we drop in on a session to find out how it’s done.

Narcan resources mentioned in the episode:

San Francisco residents can get Narcan from the Community Behavioral Health Services Pharmacy at 1380 Howard Street.

Detailed instructions on how to administer Narcan can be found on the DOPE website at harmreduction.org and on YouTube "How to Use Narcan with the DOPE Project."

The DOPE Project conducts Narcan distribution and in person trainings at the 6th Street Harm Reduction Center at 117 6th Street, during operating hours, Tuesday to Friday 11 am to 5 pm.