How One F
When Karen Chrapek thinks of her work with Volusia Recovery Alliance , Inc ., her favorite aspect is the “ ability to save lives .”
A recovering addict herself , Chrapek ’ s role as the executive director at the nonprofit is focused on offering community support to individuals and families navigating substance use disorder challenges .
One of the alliance ’ s most successful outreach programs has been its NARCAN kit giveaways . NARCAN is an over-the-counter nasal spray that can be used as a life-saving measure for an opioid overdose . Over the last several years , the nonprofit has distributed over 25,000 NARCAN kits .
Chrapek recalls a powerful story of the necessity of NARCAN availability in Volusia County .
A recovering addict friend had returned to use after years in recovery . He had gotten hurt and ended up on pain medicine , which triggered his substance abuse disease . “ He overdosed in his driveway ,” she says . Luckily , she had given him NARCAN several months before the relapse . Luckier still , her friend had passed along a kit to his neighbor . The neighbor found him in the driveway , released the NARCAN into his nasal cavity and saved his life .
Knowing overdose “ hot spots ” helps Chrapek and her outreach team distribute the life-saving treatment where it ’ s needed most . Her team has also shown over 10,000 individuals how to handle an overdose response .
“ We have a big partnership with the sheriff ’ s office ,” says Chrapek . “ We get a lot of information on overdose hot spots from them . Law enforcement partnerships are a big part of breaking the stigma of overdose .”
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