Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day.
According to officials at Torrington, Connecticut-based McCall Behavioral Health Network, the prevalence of Fentanyl has led to misinformation and concerns from law enforcement and first responders.
Lauren Pristo is the director of community engagement at McCall. She said a recent viral video that circulated in July this year highlighted those issues.
“An officer believed they were exposed to fentanyl, and he immediately started asking for Naloxone,” Pristo said. “But the symptoms were more reflective of a panic attack, where there was increased respiration, and there was audible panic in the officer's voice. And this happens when we focus on the chemical and treat it as a bioweapon.”
Pristo said that although fentanyl is a powerful and potentially dangerous synthetic opioid, just touching it or coming into contact with it does not result in an overdose.
“In some of these cases, we actually see increased charges brought against the individuals who are being detained because of the concept that they’ve now put the officer’s life at risk because they have been using fentanyl, and the officer was supposedly exposed to it,” Pristo said. “The more that videos like this circulate, the more adverse outcomes we are going to see for law enforcement, first responders, and community members. Because they are legitimately afraid that their life is at risk.”
McCall has released an informational video about Fentanyl in an attempt to quell the misinformation. It’s called The Truth About Fentanyl Exposure.
