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Saving Lives from Behind the Bar: Local group wants to arm bartenders with Narcan


There's a push in Hamilton County to save lives with Narcan, but one group in particular is targeting bartenders to be on the front lines in the fight. (WKRC)
There's a push in Hamilton County to save lives with Narcan, but one group in particular is targeting bartenders to be on the front lines in the fight. (WKRC)
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CINCINNATI (WKRC) - There's a push in Hamilton County to save lives with Narcan, but one group in particular is targeting bartenders to be on the front lines in the fight.

“I always, always have Narcan on me,” said Noam Barnard. “You never know when you think you’ll run into a situation.”

Barnard is the executive director of the Coalition for Community Safety. You can see him around town with his backpack in tow and his head on a swivel. Barnard is regularly bringing someone back to life.

“We go through about 100 boxes of Narcan a month,” said Barnard.

Barnard has been leading the effort to train bartenders on the use of Narcan and what to look for for a couple of months now. He said upwards of 10 bars have taken him up on the training.

Jordan Young, a career bartender at Tillie’s Lounge in Northside, is your guy for a fancy cocktail, but he’s simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on his customers.

“Organized chaos is the best way to phrase that,” said Young.

Young said he’s always keeping tabs on customers, and if they have slurred speech, are stumbling or saying words like "I am drunk." More than that, he said he’s called countless Ubers for customers that can’t drive home.

“It’s part of our job to make sure our customers are safe,” said Young.

Young is all for having Narcan behind the bar. He calls it an extra tool in his toolbox that’s necessary in this day and age.

Harm Reduction Ohio confirms it is very necessary, especially with an overwhelming amount of drugs being cut with fentanyl.

“Why not give them Narcan? Because people who are using alcohol might be using drugs,” said AmandaLynn Reese of Harm Reduction Ohio, “There are people who are doing a key bump and they are not getting back up.”

Reese said the reality is that people use drugs. In 2020, 70% of all Ohio overdose deaths were fentanyl-related, according to research by Harm Reduction Ohio.

“The synthetics and the presses are getting more and more realistic-looking, and it’s hard to tell them apart. People are thinking they are getting one thing, and it’s not the same thing,” said Reese.

Barnard will push on with his mission -- a mission not meant to condone drugs, but to condone life.

“Everybody deserves a chance and everybody deserves a second chance,” said Barnard.

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