Health department tackling fentanyl overdose deaths in Black community

By Ayron Lewallen

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    BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — The Jefferson County Department of Health is working to provide some life-saving resources in the Birmingham community for free. This comes after the county coroner’s office announced an increase in fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022. That’s why the Department of Health held a free Narcan training clinic in Ensley on Thursday.

In January, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office announced more Black people are dying from opioid overdoses than ever before.

“Fentanyl is being laced in every street drug,” Candace Rachel, Jefferson County Health Department, said. “It’s in everything.”

Alexis Brewer attended Thursday morning’s training. She said being involved in her church in Ensley and seeing how fentanyl is affecting her community pushed her to participate.

“Sometimes you will see people overdosed, and it’s something that is close to my heart as well as my church,” Brewer said. “Being closed is something that we care about in the community, so it’s just important to get to know this training and be able to help someone if necessary.”

Brewer said she doesn’t know anyone personally who has died from a fentanyl overdose, but she had a co-worker whose close family member died from it.

“She wished that she had those resources that we have now,” Brewer said. “Being able to promote that and help and support her do that has been big.”

Data from the coroner’s office shows last year, nearly 200 Black men and women died of opioid overdoses in Jefferson County. Of those, 157 were from fentanyl.

“It may be the same drug that they’ve taken for years, or they went out and used once a month and hung out with the guys or girls and there’s fentanyl in it,” Rachel said.

No matter how someone comes in contact with the drug, Rachel wants to make sure the people around them can step in and save lives.

“They are cared about and they’re worth it,” she said. “They’re worth saving.”

For more information about the Jefferson County Department of Health’s free online Narcan training, visit the department of health’s website.

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