BELLINGHAM—Jessica Silver is a Bellingham resident, artist and mother of five.
She isn’t a first responder. She doesn’t work in the medical field. But in the last year and a half, she says she’s had to use CPR or Narcan four separate times to help bring strangers back from overdoses.
“I’ve never used fentanyl. I’ve never even seen fentanyl. I never thought I would have to do that,” Silver said in an interview with The Bellingham Herald.
Silver’s two most recent experiences administering Narcan were in the last month, just days apart from each other.
“I think what we are dealing with is an absolutely tragic and horrible epidemic, and it’s ravishing people’s lives,” Silver said.
The fentanyl crisis has been declared an emergency across Bellingham, Whatcom County and the Lummi Nation as opioid overdose deaths have been rising exponentially over the last several years locally and across the state.
There were 137 overdose deaths in Whatcom County in 2023, according to WhatcomOverdosePrevention.org.
“Fentanyl is 50 times stronger than heroin. This means a very small amount can kill you,” the organization states. “Because of poor quality control, many fentanyl-containing pills on the street contain a dose that can kill someone who hasn’t developed a tolerance to the drug. Fentanyl is also very inexpensive and easy to get on the black market compared to other illegal drugs.”
Narcan, which is the brand name for the drug Naloxone, can reverse an opioid overdose. It can restore breathing and consciousness to a person in about two to five minutes. It only works on opioids and will not affect someone who has not taken opioids.
Silver’s message? She wants everyone to carry Narcan and get CPR certified.
“There’s no worse feeling in the world than knowing someone is overdosing, there is something out there that could fix this — and you don’t have it,” Silver told The Herald.
Whatcom County Health and Community Services distributed 5,912 Naloxone kits, each equipped with two doses, in 2023. WCHCS distributed 2,393 kits in the first six months of 2024.
“Access to Naloxone has increased dramatically in the last few years, and our department is one of multiple access points,” said WCHCS Communications Specialist Marie Duckworth. “Our partners, especially EMS, have done a lot of work in this area through presentations and a leave-behind program.”
Naloxone is available for purchase at most pharmacies. The People’s Harm Reduction Alliance also offers a free Naloxone-by-mail program for residents of Washington State.
