Walton County Overdose Prevention Task Force celebrates Revive Awareness Day
Local officials, health professionals and overdose survivors gathered at the North Walton Doctors Hospital to celebrate their first Revive Awareness Day.
'There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a young person die from a drug overdose because that is 100% preventable,' North Walton Doctors Hospital Chief Executive Dr. Guy Nguyen said.
Dr. Nguyen said he has spent most of his career amid the opioid epidemic.
He's seen firsthand how naloxone, an opioid antagonist that can reverse overdoses from substances like fentanyl, can save users from certain death.
'Sometimes they jump out of the bed and they want to hit you because you just took away their high,' Dr. Nguyen continued.
It worked for Samara Bailey, whose overdose began her long road to recovery.
'The only thing I remember is waking up in an emergency room similar to this, and the nurse telling me, 'honey, you just died,'' overdose survivor Samara Bailey said.
Because of her drug use, Bailey found herself in the Okaloosa County Jail, a circumstance law enforcement officials are all too familiar with.
'A lot of people come to jail and they are addicted, and that could very well be one of the reasons that they are in jail to begin with, and a lot of cases it is,' said WCSO Chief of Emergency Services Tracey Vause.
But through hard work, dedication and community support, Bailey completed her road to recovery.
Bailey, like many other former addicts, are making the best out of their second chance.
'I'm very, very blessed to be able to say that I get to show up as a loving husband, a father and a grandfather now, which I'm very happy about,' overdose survivor Chris Hockman said.
To contact the Walton County Overdose Prevention Task Force, call (850) 401-6338.
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