Public health and harm reduction experts came together in Las Vegas Saturday to mark the global day of spreading overdose awareness and advocating for prevention.
The Southern Nevada Harm Reduction Alliance hosted its 8th Annual International Overdose Awareness Day event, which took place at The Center, a Las Vegas nonprofit organization focused on serving the LGBTQ+ community.
The event marked International Overdose Awareness Day, which is observed yearly on Aug. 31, and was intended to honor those who have been lost to overdose, said Chris Reynolds, president of the Southern Nevada Health Consortium.
Robert Schomer hosted a training session on how to use naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Schomer is the employment program coordinator for Foundation for Recovery, an addiction treatment center in Las Vegas.
“Naloxone is an effective antagonist against any type of opioid,” said Schomer. Naloxone typically comes in the form of a nasal spray that can be administered to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
Harm reduction
With naloxone training, the goal is to reduce harm, said Schomer. A strategy that prioritizes harm reduction helps addicts take small steps towards recovery, Schomer explained.
“There’s a difference between quitting cold turkey and harm reduction,” said Schomer, “Harm reduction is acknowledging that you are willing to take steps to mitigate consequences.”
For example, moving from injecting drugs to smoking instead is one of those steps, Schomer said. With injecting, there’s a higher likelihood of overdosing compared to other methods.
Schomer recalled a time where he was running a meeting and one of the attendees overdosed in front of him.
“We never know when we might unintentionally be the first responder in an overdose situation,” Schomer reflected, “Even though I do this training, its still a scary situation to be in.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 79,770 drug overdose deaths in 2022, which is more than the seating capacity of Allegiant Stadium, said Schomer.
“We have trainings every year and there’s always people who’ve been through the trainings that have saved lives because of it,” Reynolds said.
‘Meet them where they’re at’
Reynolds urges people to always carry naloxone because they never know when someone may overdose.
Another aspect of harm reduction is making sure people can use safe needles, said Michele Jorge, the HIV outreach and linkage coordinator for Trac B Exchange.
Trac B Exchange, based in Las Vegas, exchanges dirty needles for clean ones and links people with housing and addiction resources when they’re ready for care.
“It’s all about keeping clients safe and healthy until they’re ready for change. We have to meet them where they’re at,” Jorge elaborated.
Another organization present at the event was the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, where the aim is to normalize the conversation around suicide, said volunteer Dani Eicher.
“The more the conversation is normalized, the more we prevention we can have,” Eicher explained.
“This gives them the opportunity and the space to work through their emotions,” said Eicher. “Sometimes, there’s guilt and shame associated with it, but we have to remind people that they’re not alone.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, or are worried about a loved one or friend, help is available 24/7 by calling or texting the Lifeline network at 988. Live chat is available at 988lifeline.org.
Contact Annie Vong at avong@reviewjournal.com.
A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.
Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.
What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.
The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.
So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.
I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.
Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.
Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.
click to expand photos
Las Vegas High’s baseball team claimed a 3-2 home win over Coronado on Friday.
Las Vegas (9-13-1) next hosts Rancho at 10 a.m. Saturday. Coronado (13-14) hosts Chaparral at 3:30 p.m. Monday.
Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Nevada’s jobless rate is holding steady, but the state is still adding jobs.
A new report from DETR shows February’s unemployment rate unchanged at 5.3 percent, with the labor force growing by nearly 3,800 people.
MORE ON FOX5: Nevada unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in January
Nevada now has about 1.6 million nonfarm jobs, up 2.2 percent over the past year and 1,500 more jobs than in January.
“This month’s report shows a strengthening labor market,” said David Schmidt, Chief Economist. ”Compared to the report for January, the pace of job gains in the past year increased from 1.9% to 2.2%, building on what was already the fastest pace of job growth in the country. While the unemployment rate remained stable, the labor force participation rate rose to 63.7%, 1.7 percentage points higher than the national level.”
In Las Vegas, employment ticked up by 1,100 jobs in February, about 0.1 percent, and is up more than 25,000 jobs compared to last year.
Reno added 1,000 jobs on the month, while Carson City shed about 200 but is still slightly above where it was a year ago.
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