FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- It was just after 8 p.m. Friday. Muffled bass music thumped out of clubs, workers swept sidewalks, and bouncers took up positions at front doors as they prepared for the weekend Spring Break crowd.
It was still too early for many college students to have made their way from the beach to the downtown area. It wouldn’t start to get busy until about 10 p.m.
For John Glover, it was the perfect time to make his way onto the streets. The adult peer specialist and specialty programs coordinator at South Florida Wellness Network would lead a group of 13 others, passing out naloxone, an overdose antidote. Their goal? Empower people to be able to reverse overdoses and save lives.
Staff members and volunteers from the South Florida Wellness Network — many of them in recovery themselves — spent their weekend talking to Spring Breakers, informing them of the danger and prevalence of the highly potent and potentially deadly fentanyl, a synthetic opioid often mixed with heroin, cocaine or methamphetamine.
“What we’re doing tonight is raising awareness in the community about what is going on when it comes to cocaine that’s laced with fentanyl, providing them with handouts that have some information on it to tell them to try to test their supply first before going all in on it,” Glover, 43, said.
The group gives out hundreds of naloxone kits per month since they started in 2018. Their street team talks to partiers, bouncers and bar managers to educate them about what an overdose looks like and how they can help until paramedics arrive.
The group distributes naloxone regularly but stepped-up efforts in Fort Lauderdale due to the recent overdoses there.
They know they won’t be able to stop people from buying or taking drugs, so they want to help prepare the public to respond to an overdose that may occur at a party or club or elsewhere.
The group donned matching shirts that read, “Test your supply, before you get high” on the back, as well as Mardi Gras-style beads and flashing neon bracelets to attract attention.
Most young people they approached were open to talking, and many walked away with a flier and a nasal spray bottle of Narcan, a brand name for a device that delivers naloxone.
Gage Ertel was visiting Fort Lauderdale from southeast Indiana for Spring Break. The former high school football player had broad shoulders jutting out of a tank top and was downtown with a friend. He still listened to Glover for about 10 minutes in front of Capone’s Nightclub and received a bottle of naloxone.
“I know a few people who have done that [expletive],” he said. “You know what’s going on here, man? A week ago, we heard a few kids [overdosed] from fentanyl, so you never know what’s going on.”
He was referring to the widely reported overdose of six college students on Spring Break in Wilton Manors the Friday before.
Just two days later, four more people were hospitalized for fentanyl overdoses in unincorporated Fort Lauderdale.
“Apparently there’s been a lot of fentanyl around,” said Christian Cruz, a Spring Breaker from Milwaukee. “It’s cool that they informed us about it and that they’re doing this.”
“I’m just gonna keep it on me, just in case. I’m praying to God I don’t have to use it,” the 22-year-old said. “It’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
Health officials, first responders and substance-abuse activists have been sounding the alarm over fentanyl for years. The drug is about 50 times stronger than heroin.
Test kits are classified as drug paraphernalia in Florida. Democratic lawmakers recently sought to change that. Some even cited the recent overdoses in their plea.
Republicans in the state House blocked the effort, however, and it failed.
Back in Fort Lauderdale, 450 miles away from the state Capitol, young people flooded the downtown as Glover and his team continued their efforts.
By the end of the night, they distributed over 350 Narcan bottles, he said.
His group will be canvassing hot spots from Deerfield Beach to Dania Beach and when Spring Break ends, they’ll continue their efforts at music festivals and in neighborhoods.
He said stories of overdoses break his heart: “That could have been me, because I’m a person in recovery. And I lived that lifestyle. And so it’s unfortunate, because that’s someone’s daughter or son or mother and father, and it doesn’t have to be that way.”
But he continues his work for the success stories. Those who do receive Narcan are asked to call the organization after having used it to provide information and get a replacement supply. That helps the group collect data, but also reminds Glover and his staff of the impact they can have.
“It just gives me more motivation to do what I do. I get to see those individuals out in the community with their families restored,” he said. “When we get those phone calls, we’re really happy that they call us and we go out, we’ll provide them with another dose and see if the person is ready to get into recovery or detox. It’s more fire for me to do what I do.”
For more information on how to receive Narcan, call 954-234-2177.
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