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Sarasota takes stand against fentanyl crisis
FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - Fentanyl is highly addictive and has been a problem in Tampa Bay area communities for years.
Those impacted by the drug are coming together this Monday for the second annual "Sarasota Fights Fentanyl Walk." It will be a day of remembrance and potentially a lifesaving resource to help those battling addiction.
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Local perspective:
The faces in each photo have a story to tell. Each is someone who lost their battle with addiction, including Casey Leonard.
"He was my fiancé and my person," said Julianne Rosato.
Rosato won't let his light be forgotten. She'll be one of hundreds taking part in the Sarasota Fights Fentanyl Walk and Resource Fair on Labor Day.
"This walk shows we refuse to give up," she said.
Why you should care:
"We get to come and be the voice to all these people that we’ve lost," said Barbara Schnurr, who works with the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).
Through NAMI, Schurr partnered with Manatee County for the overdose prevention education program. Schnurr, who is a recovered addict, will be walking for her partner, Madison.
"This walk will be able to allow people in our community to see that this is such a pandemic," she said. "This crisis is not a moral dilemma. It’s actually people struggling and trying to ask for help, and they don’t know how."
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By the numbers:
Organizers said in the time it will take to walk the Ringling Bridge, six people will lose their lives to fentanyl.
"The statistics say that over 40% of the people you know will know somebody that has overdosed on fentanyl or fentanyl laced drugs," said Toni Lemieux, who works in the recovery community and started the walk last year.
What they're saying:
"It dawned on me that I might not be able to do it myself, but our whole community coming together, we could do something to effect a change," Lemieux said.
More than a thousand boxes of Narcan, which reverses an opioid overdose, will also be given out along with training. There will also be resources and a pre-screen detox intake.
"From the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows. You see it in all of our society. It’s really important people are aware of how to treat somebody of an overdose and where to seek help," said Paul McKinney, the CEO of Project Exodus.
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To remember those lives lost and to fight for those who are struggling to break free.
"You can’t make somebody want it. So, when somebody comes to wanting it for themselves, it’s the most powerful thing I have ever seen. When somebody can decide to turn their life over and go get help," said Rosato.
What's next:
The walk will start Monday morning at 9 a.m. at J.D. Hamel Park. The Resource Fair will continue until 2 p.m.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon.