Former Addict Leads Effort to Distribute Narcan Kits
Scott Boyink, a former addict and recovery warrior, is working to have Narcan placed in nightclubs throughout Detroit hoping to empower club-goers and save lives.
As reported by Detroit Metro Times, Boyink’s goal is to get the kits “anywhere where musicians congregate,” he says. “If the venue has a soundboard, I want them to have Narcan. But it’s going to take time.”
The project comes at a crucial turning point in the opioid crisis, which President Donald Trump categorized as a nationwide health emergency in October.
As with the rest of the nation, Michigan has seen an increase in opioid-related deaths, which have increased exponentially: From 1999 to 2016, 7,300 people have died from an opioid overdose, and more than 60 percent of those deaths have occurred since 2010. To compare: 2012, Michigan opioid related deaths totaled 426, according to information provided by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. But by 2016, the number more than tripled with 1,391 total statewide deaths, and 438 in Wayne County alone.
“I had to start adapting the messaging to combat the problem,” Boyink says. “I wanted the kits themselves to be super simple, easy to open, and readable, with no-nonsense instructions. I didn’t want people to be fumbling with opening boxes and sheets of instructions.”
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To read more about how a former addict is taking the lead distributing Narcan throughout Detroit, please visit the Detroit Metro Times.