As Fentanyl Deaths Soar, UT Tyler Provides Free Narcan

This is part of a reporting project drawing attention to the danger of fentanyl, use of Narcan to save lives and the university’s Narcan Access Initiative. Also see The Patriot Talon on Instagram for more coverage.

By DAVID CHAPEK/Staff  Writer 

Raising awareness and protecting students is what Elizabeth Caulkins, UT Tyler’s Title IX investigator, specializes in. As she learned more about fentanyl – the leading cause of death of young people in America – she became more and more concerned.

“Experimenting with drugs has been and will always be a thing,” Caulkins said. “I don’t think that someone should try to experiment and take a drug or take something one time, and they die. They lose their life over that. You should not have to lose your life over that.”

Fentanyl, an opioid prescribed by doctors to reduce pain, is so potent that a mere trace – 2 milligrams – can be fatal. Drug dealers add illegally made synthetic fentanyl to heroin, meth, and cocaine to make them more addictive, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Drugs may contain deadly levels of fentanyl, and you wouldn’t be able to see it, taste it, or smell it,” the CDC says. “It is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been mixed with fentanyl unless you test your drugs with fentanyl test strips.”

Because fentanyl can be made to look like other drugs, victims often don’t have any idea what they are consuming. Once ingested, fentanyl triggers massive respiratory arrest.

And deaths from fentanyl poisoning are increasing.

“Fentanyl-related deaths in Texas increased over 600% from 2019 to 2023, taking the lives of more than 7,000 innocent Texans in just four years,” a recent statement from Gov. Greg Abbott says.

‘HELP OTHERS’

In her passion to help students know more about fentanyl’s dangers, Caulkins found hope in Narcan.

Narcan, an over-the-counter version of naloxone, is a spray that can be administered up someone’s nostril as soon as they start exhibiting the symptoms of an opioid overdose.

“The point of the Narcan is for people that are there (during an overdose) to help others, to help their friends, to watch out for their loved ones, to watch out for things like this that might be occurring,” Caulkins said.

Once administered, Narcan temporarily reverses the effects of the overdose. This provides a better chance for the victim to survive before receiving emergency medical care. Fortunately, there are no side effects of Narcan, so even if the drug is administered to someone not suffering a fentanyl overdose, no harm is done.

After securing hundreds of doses of Narcan, along with a commitment from the Medical School at UT San Antonio for 60 more per month for the next five years, Caulkins launched UT Tyler’s own Narcan Access Initiative.

‘STUDENTS CAN PICK UP NARCAN’

The initiative began with a campus event on Oct. 28 held in conjunction with Travis’s Voice, an organization that raises awareness and educates communities about fentanyl.

Travis’s Voice was founded by Janice Stahl, whose son died in 2021 after someone slipped fentanyl in his drink. Stahl and others spoke at the initiative’s launch about their loved ones who died from fentanyl poisoning.

After the speakers’ presentations, Caulkins encouraged the attendees to pick up Narcan doses distributed with information on recognizing symptoms of a fentanyl overdose and instructions on how to administer Narcan.

 

See Whitney Worley’s video on the launch of the Narcan Access Initiative 

 

The second part of Caulkins’s initiative involves the continued opportunities for students to obtain Narcan as needed.

“There will be distribution spots on campus where students can go and just pick up Narcan,” Caulkins said before the initiative’s launch.

People can obtain up to three doses per day at three distributions sites:
– Muntz Library Front Desk
– University Welcome Center Desk
– W.T. Brookshire Hall, School of Pharmacy Student Affairs Office

‘JUDGEMENT FREE’

One of the goals of the initiative is removing potential fears that picking up Narcan might label a student as someone who uses drugs, according to Caulkins.

“I want to help erase the stigma around the Narcan,” she said. “It’s kind of like a seatbelt. … You don’t do anything with it, unless there’s a time when you need it.”

Students who obtain Narcan on campus will not be required to show ID or asked information other than self-identifying as either student, staff or faculty.

“We want it, again, to be a judgment-free, stigma-free location,” Caulkins reiterated. “This is a life-saving tool. … (Narcan) should be seen as, this is a medication that could help someone.”

Caulkins hopes that students will be willing and eager to pick up Narcan with the understanding that it saves lives.

“I would like it to be the fact that these are people (who pick it up) that want to help their friends, that want to look out for others,” she said. “I mean, that’s what the goal for me behind it is.

“I want people to be saved. I don’t want people to die needlessly.”

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The story on Iinstagram: UT Tyler’s Talon Student Media (@thepatriottalon) • Instagram photos and videos