Tuesday, January 17, 2023, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EST
Sarah Febres-Cordero, PhD, BSN, ADN, Laney Graduate School, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Georgia Perimeter College - Georgia State University"Staying Alive in Little Five: Confronting Stigma and Promoting Harm Reduction in a Graphic Novel Intervention."The opioid epidemic continues to impact communities across the US. Despite the availability of naloxone (an opioid antagonist), overdose deaths continue to rise. Naloxone and other harm reduction strategies, such as fentanyl test strips for illicit drug use, are gaining popularity and are more accessible now than ever. However, the stigma surrounding opioid use, naloxone distribution, and fentanyl testing persists despite evidence that these tools effectively decrease opioid overdose. Service industry workers (bartenders, servers, baristas, clerks, etc.) are on the frontline of the opioid epidemic. The community of service industry workers is uniquely positioned to intervene in opioid-related overdose, educate on naloxone distribution and administration, and would benefit from testing personal drug supplies with fentanyl test strips. However, there is a dearth of research on opioid-involved overdose that engages and tailors evidence-based interventions to fit their needs. By creating culturally appropriate interventions for service industry workers, there is potential to train a vast workforce as first responders to opioid-involved overdoses.