Addressing the Opioid Epidemic in Peach County

PEACH COUNTY, Ga. – It’s time to talk about the Opioid Epidemic in Peach County and that’s exactly what the Peach County Health Department did at their ‘Tune In, Help End Overdose!’ event on Saturday, Sept. 7, from 3 to 6 p.m. at Greater Faith Babies Ministries.

The Peach County Health Department and the North Central Health District’s Opioid Program collaborated with the Council on Alcohol and Drugs and the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities(DBHDD) to host this opioid prevention event. The goal of the event was to increase public awareness about the dangers of opioids, challenge the stigma surrounding them, and connect individuals with essential resources.

Peach County has had the highest overdose rate among the 13 counties in the North Central District of the Georgia Department of Public Health within the past few years. The Peach County Health Department believes it is crucial to tackle this issue and offer the community support for recovery, including access to insurance and mental health services.

Multiple vendors were present to discuss resources available to those in Peach County including the Peach County Department of Health, LifeLink, IHope, Fort Valley HeadStart, The Peach Pit, Brookdale Resource Center, Georgians for a Healthy Future, Amerigroup Real Solution, Greenleaf, Resilient Middle Georgia, and many more. In addition to the many pamphlets and similar documentation available, Naloxone Hydrochloride Nasal Spray (Narcan) was available for free to everyone in attendance. This nasal spray can help someone if they are suffering from an opioid overdose.

Marissa Cooling, the Overdose Specialist of the North Central District of the Georgia Department of Public Health stepped forward to speak on her experiences when she was suffering from an overdose. She spoke of her experiences as a person in long-term recovery.

Cooling expressed why events like ‘Tune In’ are vital to informing communities and providing resources.

“I think it’s always about situational awareness, letting a particular community know what’s happening and it’s something that they may not already be aware of. On our end of things with the end overdose event, we really do want to let everyone know that this is a problem that’s happening in Peach County and there is something that you can do to play a part in being the solution,” Cooling said. “I think it’s important to get a lot of community members together, so that they can interface with one another and build that community vibe.” 

Cooling continued, discussing the many resources available in and around Peach County.

“We [the Department of Public Health] are able to link people to resources. So, we can get them information about what’s available in the community. I know the Peach County Health Department has a community resource guide and is able to point you in the right direction,” said Cooling. “Today we have IHope here, they are a recovery community organization (RCO) that’s in Warner Robins, they serve the surrounding counties. So, if anyone’s looking for recovery support services, that’s a fantastic one to go to. Looking a little further north, we have Macon Recovers which is another RCO in Macon that basically tailors itself to the community like IHope does. Those are great resources.”

Cooling recognized the hard work and dedication of the first responders of Peach County.

“I want to say thank you to the Peach County Community, specifically fire, law enforcement, EMA, and EMS. Peach County First Responders have been some of our best community partners that we had, we work very closely with them when it comes to overdose prevention. We provide Narcan to a lot of the organizations here including some law enforcement and first responders. The community has been wide open to wanting to address the issue here. It’s just been super welcoming,” Cooling said.

Cooling went on to discuss the opioid epidemic and the benefits of Narcan (Naloxone Hydrochloride) in stopping an overdose. She encouraged members of the community to get access to the spray, to help those in need.

“I want to let the community know to get a kit of Narcan, that you can be a solution to this opioid epidemic. It’s something as simple as getting a free kit from the health department or going and buying a kit from the grocery store or a drug store and carrying it with you, in case you happen to see someone in an overdose,” Cooling said. “You never know when or where it could happen.”

During the welcome part of the event, Cooling informed the audience about Georgia’s 911 Medical Amnesty and Expanded Naloxone Access Law. Cooling stated that Georgia’s 911 Medical Amnesty Law protects you when you call 911 for help at an alcohol or drug overdose scene.

Documentation was provided by Georgia Overdose Prevention detailing the law in depth. The law states; “The caller and the victim cannot be arrested, charged or prosecuted when you call 911 for medical assistance at the scene of a suspected drug overdose if law enforcement arrives and finds personal use amounts of drugs and drug paraphernalia. (For immunity to apply, amounts of drugs must be: less than 4 grams of a solid substance, less than 4 grams combined weight of a solid mixed in a secondary medium, less than 1 ounce of marijuana, less than 1 milliliter of liquid)…. The caller and the victim cannot be arrested, charged or prosecuted when 911 is called at the scene of a suspected alcohol overdose if law enforcement arrives and finds alcohol, even if you are underage.”