Check out this great article about our very own Lynne Huckleberry giving Narcan training and distribution to local bars. Everyone should be trained and carry Narcan!
By Conroy Delouche
Aug 30, 2022
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Businesses known for late-night fun are getting serious about saving lives.
Tuesday night, employees at Baxter’s 942 Bar & Grill in the Highlands got a lesson on how to administer Naloxone, or Narcan.
Narcan can be used if there is a known or suspected opioid overdose emergency, and save a life.
“If you’re still actively using, we don’t want you to die,” Lynne Huckleberry said.
Huckleberry went to Baxter’s to train bar managers there and from Outlook Inn.
She is a member of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition. According to its website, KyHRC works to help in reducing overdoses, overdose deaths and the transmission of HIV and Hepatitis C.
Huckleberry said that’s her mantra of harm reduction is to meet those struggling with addiction where they are in their journey.
It’s a cause near to her heart because she witnessed her son’s addiction impact his life.
“I was so ashamed, and I felt like I was just a terrible terrible mother. Well, I found out there’s a lot of people like me who didn’t find help like I did,” she said.
Since turning the corner on his addiction, Huckleberry says her son has stayed clean for years.
But the battle isn’t over for thousands of Kentucky families, which is why Huckleberry continues dedicating her time working with those struggling. She has passed out hundreds of Naloxone Rescue Kits across the city.
Despite her efforts, she says Kentucky has seen more than 4,000 overdose deaths since 2020.
The surge in opioid-related deaths troubles Jessica Coleman, a manager at Baxter’s.
“It’s more than likely that it may happen on our sidewalk, in our parking lot, down the street, maybe inside these doors. So we just want to be prepared,” Coleman said.
She was the one who set up the training with Huckleberry so their staff can be ready to act if an overdose happens near, or even at, their bar.
“When people are in a bar, they imbibe, their inhibitions are lower, so they obviously are not thinking 100% straight,” Coleman said.
Each rescue pack contains the Narcan nasal spray, gloves and a plastic barrier for CPR.
Coleman said two packs will stay behind her bar. She wants her entire staff to know how to use them.
“The more people who are trained, the better. Because it’s very time-sensitive,” she said.
Every second counts when it comes to stopping an overdose.
“You just have to believe that if one person doesn’t die, that you’ve done a good job,” Huckleberry said.
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