San Francisco health dept., nonprofit team up for overdose awareness at Giants game
SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco Giants may have been squaring off against the Texas Rangers Friday night, but about 100 yards from home plate above Section 115, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and Song For Charlie, a non-profit, joined forces to educate baseball fans about the dangers of fentanyl and how to treat an overdose.
According to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, 65 people died from unintentional drug overdoses in March alone.
They hope to drastically decrease that number by spreading awareness and teaching more people how to administer Narcan, an opioid-reversal drug.
"We know that overdoses can impact anyone in any corner of life," said Harmony Bulloch, a grant analyst with the department of public health. "We want to make sure people can do this training and have naloxone and potentially save a life."
Also at the game was Christina Julian and her children, Dakota and Cindy. For the Julians, the night's cause hit close to home.
Julian lost her niece, Claire, a student at the University of Southern California to an accidental fentanyl overdose.
"It was truly the most horrible moment in my life," Julian said. "Xanax was a medication Claire was familiar with. She thought she was making a smart choice, but unfortunately, she didn't go to a trusted source and that one decision changed all of our lives."
Julian said the opportunity to spread awareness and educate the public at a Major League Baseball game gives them the chance to reach people they may not otherwise.
"The problem is that fentanyl doesn't discriminate against age or race or gender or economic status," Julian said. "Everybody is at risk."
If you or someone you know is suffering from substance abuse, you can contact the San Francisco Substance Abuse hotline at (415) 834-1144.
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