Bartenders and bar managers in Fort Worth’s 7th Street District are getting hands-on NARCAN training. A group of them took part in a session so they would know what to do in case of an opioid overdose. It’s part of an effort to equip those working in the nightlife industry with the necessary tools to step in as the first line of defense. Rarely does nightlife intentionally collide with the world of healthcare, except for an emergency. The IHI Open School student chapter at UNT’s Health Science Center and SaferCare Texas teamed with Fort Worth’s West 7th district bar scene to get ahead of a crisis. “People can overdose on it very easily, especially if they’re not familiar and they don’t know the strength of what they’re getting from their supplier,” said Joshua Manning, with the Institute for Health improvement. On Wednesday afternoon, the bartenders and managers met at Ampersand and trained with NARCAN samples. Tony Oro is the director of operations at the establishment. He said their employees are good at spotting potentially dangerous situations and can now add opioid overdose to that list. “When we talk about NARCAN, in the event that something like that does happen, that they are able to respond to that emergency and they are able to spot it, identify and also if we can help treat it on the spot before medical crews arrive that’s always best,” said Oro. The training happened just as Governor Abbott launched a statewide NARCAN locator map pinpointing exactly where to find the lifesaving medicine. The new map will be maintained by the Department of State Health Services. He released a statement that reads in part: “Texas must continue to do more until the scourge of fentanyl is completely eradicated from our communities. With this new interactive map, Texans will be able to easily find nearby locations that can provide NARCAN by typing in an address or ZIP code. This is an invaluable tool to ensure that Texans have life-saving medication to protect more innocent lives from being lost to deadly fentanyl.” Karen Ayala works in the nightlife and healthcare industry and said she’d like to see this training go beyond the West 7th district. The initiative started when she saw the need for the training after working in the West 7th bar scene. “The bar scene is very much a fast-paced scene,” Ayala said. “As a cocktail waitress, we’re going through the crowd and I’m always very hyper-vigilant.” Oro said it’s good to see local bars coming together for a common cause to save lives. “Now I know that if something happens in another bar, I can go to the bartender or the manager and say, ‘Hey somebody is having a medical emergency. Do you guys have NARCAN?’” he said. Participating bars included Ampersand, Shot Cellar, Ship Wreck, Abbey Pub, Riot Room, Pour Decisions, Durty Crow, Distribution Bar, and Rusty Nickle. The state’s interactive map is available online. Information on opioid overdose response and prevention is also available online. ...read more read less