3 August 31 - september 6, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents THE DESPERATE HOURS Dallas’ new Opioid Response Team offers a shot at recovery to addicts whose lives were saved by a timely dose of Narcan. BY KELLY DEARMORE A n apparently lifeless person lies flat on their back on a floor, in a parking lot or on a sidewalk as paramedics hurriedly assess the damage and decide what to do next — hopefully, before it’s too late. A para- medic quickly grabs a small packet of Nar- can, peels the back off, inserts the inch-long spray nozzle into one of the patient’s nostrils and squeezes. If all goes as intended, the patient will regain consciousness in 2–3 minutes. But it will feel like a lifetime before the first re- sponders know whether the Narcan suc- cessfully blocked the effects of the opioid on the brain, enabling normal breathing to resume. The patient’s life depends on this specific dosage working and working as quickly as possible. Should the spray not have the intended effect, another dose will be administered. The specifics from incident to incident vary, of course. More and more, this harrow- ing scenario is taking place in surprising places such as suburban teen bedrooms and junior high school classrooms. In one way or another, this chilling sequence has played out in Dallas at an alarmingly increasing rate over the past few years, and in 2023 more than ever before. Through the end of July this year, Dallas Fire-Rescue paramedics had administered 1,469 doses of Narcan to suspected opioid overdose victims. That’s an average of seven per day; should that pace continue until the end of the year, 2023’s total will dwarf the roughly 2,000 doses administered last year and the 1,200 in 2021. For Dallas’ Opioid Response Team (ORT), the thousands of distressing rescues carried out by paramedics is only the first act in a drama undertaken by the young life-saving organization, whose purpose is to find those spared by Narcan and get them into long-term treatment for drug abuse. I n January, Dallas began a three-year partnership with Fort Worth’s Recovery Resource Council to begin combating the rampant abuse of opioids. Over the 24– 72 hours following an opioid overdose, se- lect staff including EMS personnel and what is called a certified recovery support peer specialist will attempt to make contact with the person, who had only recently been on the brink of death. A local government partnering on a pro- gressive, new approach to a rising problem sounds great in theory. It is in reality as well, of course, but real life rarely plays out as smoothly as it does in a City Council presen- tation. Success hinges on whether the per- son the specialists attempt to reach can even be found. It isn’t uncommon for the peer specialist and a DFR paramedic to make multiple attempts before either finally mak- ing contact with the client or deciding the well of opportunity had run dry in that case. One Recovery Resource Council peer specialist, who asked to remain anonymous because of the nature of the work, said they made contact with a recent client they helped into a treatment program only after their third attempt to contact him person- ally. To be clear, it was not the third try Nathan Hunsinger | UNFAIR PARK | >> p4 From left to right: Recovery support peer specialist Michael Watkins, director of special projects for the Recovery Resource Council Becky Tinney, Dallas Fire Department Overdose Response Team coordinator Jarrod Gilstrap, community paramedic Hilda Navarro-Diaz
