DAVENPORT, Iowa — May 9, 2023 marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day. The DEA and health departments across the U.S. want more people to be aware of the synthetic drug, which killed over 70,000 Americans in 2022.
News 8 spoke with MEDIC EMS, a nonprofit EMS in Scott County based at 1204 E. High Street in Davenport, just next to Genesis Medical Center East.
"It's most commonly prescribed for pain management — maybe they have a surgical procedure or dental procedure," MEDIC EMS Quality & Education manager Chuck Gipson said.
Fentanyl is safe when taken as prescribed and from a reputable pharmacy; however, it is dangerous when taken recreationally or outside the prescribed usage.
"It slows down all your body operations such as your mental status, your respiratory status and your cardiac status," Gipson said.
The drug kills more American under the age of 50 than heart disease, cancer or suicide. Only a little over 2 milligrams — the equivalent of a few grains of sand — is enough to be lethal.
"If not treated or taken care of, and depending on the amount they've taken, they can most certainly be found in cardiac arrest."
Overdosing can happen from abusing the drug recreationally, but can also happen by accident.
"Maybe someone forgot they took their morning pills, and they end up taking them again, not realizing that there's the compound effect of that," Gipson explained.
"The problem with those is, not being FDA approved, you really don't know the chemicals or the strength you're getting ahold of," Gipson said.
The established solution is a medication called Narcan (also called naloxone), a spray administered through a nasal mist, but can also be fed through an IV.
MEDIC EMS are using funds from the First Responders Comprehensive and Recovery Program or FR-CARP to train local school nurses on how to use Narcan, and also supplying them with the medicine.
The team said this comes at a time where opioid abuse has been increasing. MEDIC EMS said they expect over 700 uses of Narcan required in the 2023 year, up from 500 in 2022.
"The opioid use problem in Scott County is very prevalent," Gipson said, explaining that the local interstates allow for more drug exchanges.
"We do actually administer more doses of Narcan in Scott County than the rest of the counties in the state, even such as Johnson County, Stark County, Polk County, which are capital cities and large college towns," he said.
Gipson added that saving lives is not enough. "Narcan will save a life, but that doesn't solve the problem. It just makes them not die today," he said. "It's huge to get the treatment — otherwise it's an unbroken process. It just goes on over and over and over, until we can get them the treatment they need to reverse their addiction."
Local resources for help
There are several drug rehabilitation programs in the Quad Cities area that can help those suffering from substance abuse problems:
- The Abbey Center — 1401 Central Ave, Bettendorf IA
(563) 355-4707 - Rosecrance Quad Cities — 2322 East Kimberly Road, Davenport IA
(563) 355-0055 - One Eighty — 601 N. Marquette St., Davenport IA
(563) 424-4589 - Top of the World Ranch — 3333 155th Ave, Milan IL
(844) 814-8885 - UnityPoint Health Trinity, Robert Young Center — 2701 17th Street, Rock Island IL
(309) 779-2043 - Genesis Medical Center West — 1401 West Central Park Ave., Davenport IA
(563) 421-2990
A more comprehensive list is available by using the SAMHSA FindTreatment website.
Nationally, you can ask for help at the SAMHSA National Helpline at
1-800-662-4357.