Arlington Heath Services provides Narcan to bars and hotels to combat fatal drug overdoses

A new public health initiative to combat drug overdoses in Arlington is targeting the city’s hospitality industry.

Arlington’s Health Services will provide two free doses of naloxone to bars, hotels, motels and other businesses, a drug that can be administered to employees or customers who experience an opioid overdose while medical care is en route, the city announced Monday in the news release .

“Research shows that people who work in the hospitality industry have higher substance use than any other profession,” says Health Services Manager Aimee Rockhill. “Other cities across the country have had great success partnering with restaurants and bars to have naloxone on site, just as you would with a first aid kit, an Automated External Defibrillator or a fire extinguisher. It’s for a worst case scenario. But if something bad happens, you can save a life.”

Synthetic narcotics are the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in Tarrant County. In 2022, 176 fentanyl-related deaths were reported, which represents a 22% increase in deaths from 2021 to 2022, according to county data. The number of fentanyl-related deaths in Tarrant County from 2016 to 2020 was 134.

The Dallas Morning News documented how the fentanyl crisis is ravaging North Texas communities in the award-winning project “Deadly Fake.”

Immediate access to naloxone, also known by the brand name Narcan, an over-the-counter nasal spray that can quickly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, can be lifesaving.

“People never have a chance to recover from substance use when they die,” Rockhill said. “This is happening in our community. We have to work on the preventive side.”

Unity Recovery, a Weatherford-based nonprofit, is providing the drugs to the city as part of UT Health San Antonio’s “Naloxone Texas” initiative to end the state’s overdose epidemic through drug distribution, public awareness and drug empowerment staff, the news release said.

Naloxone Texas is supported by Texas Targeted Opioid Response, a public health initiative administered by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission through federal funding. The initiative also received government funding during last year’s legislative session.

“By equipping businesses with this lifesaving drug, Arlington is taking a bold step toward protecting its community and reducing the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic,” said Ashley Gainey, director of Unity’s Regional Community Distribution Center Recovery for Texas. “Every dose of naloxone represents hope, and every life saved is a life that can be supported on the road to recovery.”

Arlington has about 200 bars, motels and hotels, but the program is open to any Arlington business that wants to participate. They can do this by completing a form on the city’s website.

A city health inspector will deliver the two doses of naloxone and instructions on use and storage to participating businesses.

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