Lee Health and Kimmie’s Recovery Zone Collaborate to Combat Substance Abuse in Southwest Florida

Over 500 Narcan kits provided to Lee Health employees to be used in emergency situations encountered in the community 

(Fort Myers, Fla. – May 2, 2022) --- Lee Health has collaborated with Kimmie’s Recovery Zone with a proactive effort to combat the rise in opioid overdoses, which affects the entire country.

The number of drug overdose deaths involving prescription opioids in 2021 was nearly five times the number in 1999. According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), in 2021, 45 people died each day from a prescription opioid overdose, totaling nearly 17,000 deaths.

On April 26 at HealthPark Medical Center, over 500 free Narcan kits were provided to employees by the Lee Health Substance Use Disorder Council in partnership with  Kimmie’s Recovery Zone, a Recovery Community Organization (RCO) that organizes recovery-focused policy advocacy activities and carries out recovery-focused community education and outreach programs.

The Narcan kits will save lives of individuals impacted by drug abuse in the Southwest Florida community, which affects all walks of life. The kits may be used by employees if they see someone in need while they are going about their everyday lives. 

Narcan, also known as naloxone, reverses an opioid overdose by blocking the effects of opiates on the brain and restoring a person’s breathing. Naloxone can be given safely to people of all ages, from infants to older adults. This includes children who may accidentally take an opioid pain reliever or other opioid based medication. 

“We are empowering our staff to step in and potentially save lives outside of our hospitals,” said chief officer of community-based care Kris Fay. “Seconds matter when treating overdoses and our employees will now have the tools to do so. We’re happy to partner with Kimmie’s Recovery Zone to help make a difference in our community.”

“The opioid epidemic continues to pose a significant risk to individuals in Southwest Florida and across the United States. Having more people in the community with access to these essential Narcan kits will go a long way toward saving lives and raising awareness about the prevalence of substance abuse and its devastating effects as unintentional opioid overdose deaths now accounts as the third leading cause of death in the United States,” said Lee Physician Group physician specializing in substance abuse Dr. Denise Torres.

Additional distributions are planned at other Lee Health campuses. To learn more about substance abuse, please visit www.leehealth.org.