Last year in Suffolk County there were 463 overdoses, according to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, a drop from the previous year of 524 deaths. But that drop in deaths is no solace to the families who have lost loved ones to the opioid/fentanyl epidemic. Experts believe that the availability of naloxone (Narcan) may be the biggest reason for the decline.
Narcan is the antidote to opioid intoxication and can help a person stay alive and keep breathing, and hopefully get a second chance at seeking help with their substance use issue.
Carole Trottere’s son Alex died from a fentanyl poisoning on April 8, 2018. She is hosting an event on Sunday, Nov. 3, at her son’s favorite pizza place, Station Pizza, located at 1099 N. Country Road in Stony Brook to mark what would have been his 37th birthday. The event, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., will offer a FREE slice of pizza and a drink when customers take a three-minute Narcan training conducted by the Suffolk County Police Department. Trottere hopes this will help raise awareness of the fentanyl epidemic and help save lives.
“Every death from overdose affects so many people…parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and colleagues. It’s like a spider web of grief for those left behind,” she said. “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug to ever hit the streets and is responsible for nearly 70% of nationwide drug deaths. On Alex’s birthday, people can learn how to save a life with Narcan and eat for free.”
Trottere will also have memorial rocks available for anyone who has lost a loved one to overdose and wishes to write a name on a rock. Called the Purple Rock Project, the finished rocks are placed around parks and other locations, including Gabriel's Giving Tree Memorial & Recovery Garden at Suffolk County Environmental Center at the Scully Estate, 550 South Bay Avenue in Islip, as a reminder of how many Long Islanders have died from O.D. and fentanyl poisonings.
The offer is for the first 100 customers, and you must take the five-minute Narcan training to get the free pizza. For more information call 631-275-5277.