BEGINNING THIS WEEK, NEW YORK'S PUBLIC MEDIA STATIONS ARE LAUNCHING A STATEWIDE EFFORT TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT OVERDOSE PREVENTION, HARM REDUCTION AND OTHER RESOURCES FOR THOSE STRUGGLING WITH DRUG USE.

BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO DIED FROM AN OVERDOSE WAS STARTING TO GO DOWN OR AT LEAST STAYED FLAT FOR A FEW YEARS.

WHEN COVID HIT THAT CHANGED.

FENTANYL, A PAINKILLER, ENTERED THE ELICIT DRUG MARKET AND BECAUSE IT'S SO STRONG AND BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT'S MIXED IN WITH THEIR DRUGS, IT STARTED TO BE A TOP CONTRIBUTOR TO OVERDOSE DEATHS ACCORDING TO THE STATE.

THAT'S WHY EVERYDAY PEOPLE LIKE YOU AND LIKE ME ARE NOW GETTING TRAINED ON HOW TO USE NALOXONE ALSO CALLED NARCAN.

THOSE ARE DRUGS THAT CAN REVERSE AN OVERDOSE FROM PAINKILLER DRUGS LIKE HEROIN OR FENTANYL AND SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE, AND THAT'S WHY A LOT OF PHARMACIES NOW CARRY NARCAN FOR YOU TO BUY WITHOUT A PRESCRIPTION, BUT THERE ARE ALSO COMMUNITY 19 PROGRAMS THAT WORK TO PREVENT OVERDOSES AND RESPOND IF THEY HAPPEN.

ONE OF THOSE PROGRAMS IS PROJECT SAFE POINT IN ALBANY WHICH ACTUALLY HOLDS TRAININGS ON HOW TO USE NARCAN.

WE SHOW YOU MORE IN THIS PIECE FROM WMHT'S WILL PEDIGO.

>> MY NAME IS ED FOX.

I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PROJECT SAFE POINT.

I'M GOING TO DO AN OPIOID OVERDOSE PREVENTION TRAINING FOR YOU ALL TODAY.

PROJECT SAFE POINT IS A PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES HARM REDUCTION SERVICES TO THE CAPITAL DISTRICT.

SO OUR SERVICE AREA IS TWELVE COUNTIES SURROUNDING THE CAPITAL REGION.

IT'S A BIG AREA TO SERVE WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT NEEDS AND A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DELIVER SERVICE.

SO WE DO NARCAN TRAININGS IN THE COMMUNITY AND WE WILL DO A NARCAN TRAINING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, IN A JAILHOUSE, IN A TREATMENT CENTER, IN SOMEONE'S HOME, ANYWHERE THERE IS OPIATES, THERE ALSO NEEDS TO BE NARCAN.

I DON'T WALK OUT THAT DOOR UNTIL EVERYONE IN THE ROOM IS COMFORTABLE USING NARCAN.

THAT'S LIKE NUMBER ONE POINT.

NARCAN, IT'S AN OPIATE ANTAGONIST.

ALL IT DOES IS TAKES THAT OPIATE RECEPTOR.

I LIKE TO SAY WHEN YOU'RE DOING A NARCAN TRAINING, IT'S A CONVERSATION AS MUCH AS ANYTHING ELSE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALSO WANTING TO HEAR FEEDBACK AND PEOPLE'S QUESTION.

20 >> HI.

HOW'S IT GOING?

COME ON IN.

SO IDENTIFYING AN OVERDOSE, THERE'S A COUPLE THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO LOOK OUT FOR.

THE PERSON WILL BE UNRESPONSIVE, HAVE EITHER VERY SHALLOW BREATHING OR NO REALLY AUDIBLE BREATHING.

>> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JUST THE OVERDOSE CRISIS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE YEARS, I THINK EVERYONE HAS BEEN IMPACTED IN SOME WAY.

EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE WHO'S BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS.

WE SEE HOW COMMUNITIES ARE IMPACTED AND HOW INDIVIDUALS ARE IMPACTED, HOW FAMILIES ARE IMPACTED.

FENTANYL IS IN EVERYTHING, BEING SUCH A POWER OPIOID, ITSELF, IT'S SUPER, SUPER DANGEROUS.

IT'S 15 TO 20 TIMES STRONGER THAN HEROIN.

IT'S 80 TO 100 TIMES STRONGER THAN MORPHINE.

IT'S OUT THERE.

IT'S CHEAP.

IT'S AVAILABLE.

IT'S EVERYWHERE.

OUR APPROACH AS A HARM REDUCTION AGENCY, A HARM REDUCTION PROGRAM IS TO ACTUALLY YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED TODAY, WHAT WILL WORK FOR YOU TODAY AND TAKING THAT APPROACH, WHATEVER SERVICE IS NEEDED WHEN THE SERVICE IS NEEDED.

NO JUDGMENT EVER.

OUR SYRINGE EXCHANGE PROGRAM, WITH I IS A REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT PROGRAM-- I MEAN, IT'S A BASELINE PROGRAM FOR US IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE ARE SAFE.

WE ARE ABOUT PREVENTION, HIV AND HEPATITIS C PREVENTION.

WE HAVE LOW ACCESS 21 BUPRENORPHINE.

THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SERVICE FOR INDIVIDUALS BECAUSE WHEN SOMEONE'S READY FOR CHANGE AND BEING ABLE TO DO THAT QUICKLY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

BECAUSE THE MOMENT MAY NOT LAST BUT WHEN THE MOMENT COMES BEING ABLE TO REACT TO THAT, YOU KNOW, IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE ARE MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE IN A SAFE PLACE AND THAT WHEN THEY'RE READY FOR THAT CHANGE, THEN, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THERE TO SUPPORT THEM.

>> EIGHT YEARS AGO WAS THE LAST TIME I USED HEROIN.

SOMETIMES IT TAKES ADDICTS MULTIPLE REHABS AND MULTIPLE TRIES AND FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY GET IT.

YOU KNOW, FOR THE RECOVERY TO STICK AND A LOT OF ADDICTS DON'T EVEN GET THAT CHANCE.

NARCAN HAS SAVED MY LIFE.

I'VE SAVED TWO BOYFRIENDS' LIVES WITH NARCAN.

I'VE SAVED A FEW OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES.

I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR TEN YEARS.

I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS BEFORE I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO DRINK.

I WAS 19 WHEN I STARTED THIS PROCESS.

I'M 29 NOW, AND I THINK-- AND I HOPE AND I PRAY THAT, YOU KNOW, AND THANK GOD THAT I HAVE HAD THIS MANY TRIES, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVEN'T, BUT THAT BECAUSE I GET UP AND TRY AGAIN AND TRY AGAIN THAT IT WILL STICK.

WHERE I AM IN MY JOURNEY, EVEN SOBER, YOU KNOW, IT'S SAFE TO ALWAYS HAVE NARCAN IN MY CAR BECAUSE I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT EVERYBODY HAS 22 BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS OPIOID EPIDEMIC AND, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF TURNING A BLIND EYE TO WHAT'S GOING ON, LET'S GET TOGETHER AND YOU KNOW, BE SAFE AND YOU KNOW, GO TO THE NARCAN TRAININGS AND CARRY THE NARCAN IN OUR GLOVE BOX BECAUSE WHAT IF YOU PULL UP IN A PARKING LOT AND YOU SEE SOMEBODY PASSED OUT.

CHANCES ARE THESE DAYS THEY'RE NOT SLEEPING ANYMORE.

CHANCES ARE THEY'RE PROBABLY OVERDOSED IN THAT CAR.

AND IF YOU KNOCK ON THAT WINDOW AND THEY DON'T WAKE UP, YOU NEED TO OPEN THAT DOOR AND GIVE THEM NARCAN AND CALL 911.

YOU KNOW, BECAUSE CHANCES ARE YOU COULD SAVE THEIR LIFE.

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