Former paramedic holds free Narcan training in SWFL, gives away medication across Florida

A human life is worth more than $50.

That's what retired Boynton Beach paramedic and firefighter Luis Garcia tells people when they call him crazy for spending his $40,000 savings on Narcan as part of his South Florida Opioid Crisis Mortality Reduction Project.

"I would not sleep well at night knowing someone would have lived" if only they received Narcan, he said. "Nobody should be dying when we have an over-the-counter, easily used drug that will save your life."

Garcia started his project in Palm Beach County 11 months ago when he used his savings to buy 800 doses of Narcan. The project gives away free Narcan to people who attend a two-hour workshop that includes CPR training and information about Narcan and drug-use reduction.

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Narcan is the brand name for Naloxone, which can stop or reverse the effects of an overdose by blocking opioids from the brain.

Garcia brought his workshop to Freedom Clubhouse in Fort Myers for the second time Saturday. He first held two workshops in March where he gave away 73 Narcan sprays. 

It had never been his intention to travel as far west as Fort Myers. When Rob Raab of Nextep, an addiction treatment center in Fort Myers, called Garcia and asked him to hold a giveaway in Fort Myers, Garcia told him he would look into the depth of the opioid crisis in Fort Myers and get back to him.

"I did my research and (Fort Myers) is in bad shape," he said.

He likens the problem in Fort Myers to that of Palm Beach County six or seven years ago when the crisis was just starting to take hold. 

"The proof in the pudding is to have done my giveaway (in Fort Myers) and have nine people contact me (and) say they've used the Narcan," he said.

Four years ago, less than 200 people died of opioid overdoses in Lee County. In 2017, that number ballooned to 955, according to Lee Health.

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"People are dying by the boatload over here daily due to fentanyl overdose," Raab said of Fort Myers. "Anything we can do to help prevent that is a step in the right direction."

Deborah Comella, the executive director of Lee County Coalition for a Drug-Free Southwest Florida, said she is grateful Raab brought Garcia and his project to Lee County.

"We've certainly seen an increase in addiction and overdoses, so it's really great that were having this information on Narcan and the free Narcan kits," she said. "It's been a terrible thing for Lee County. Families are experiencing heartbreak and it's just great to have that tool."

When Garcia started the project, his mission was to reduce the statewide opioid overdose mortality rate by 20 percent. In 2016, 5,000 people suffered fatal overdoses. Garcia's hope is to give away 1,000 doses of Narcan. So far, he has given away almost 600 dosages at 30 giveaways.

But he's hit a bump in the road — he hasn't found anyone willing to fund the purchase of more Narcan.

A GoFundMe set up eight months ago has only raised $1,085 — $9,000 short of its goal.

Garcia has found the stigma against people struggling with drug abuse to be pervasive. He said he sees a lot of people — including first responders and health care providers — who think people who overdose want to die. There is a lack of understanding that addiction is a disease, he said.

"There's still a lot of resistance among professionals," he said. "I'm sure if you talk to (people in recovery) you'll find that they don't always get treated well by ER staff or police and fire rescue."

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Fernando Junco, of Cape Coral, wants to be a first responder with a better understanding of addiction. He recently finished his firefighter and EMT training and came to the training hoping to learn more about Narcan and addiction.

"When you're working on this job, everyday there are people who overdose," he said. "Giving these people the best chance and being able to explain what you gave them and what this did to their bodies, it's pretty important."

Though he has never administered Narcan himself, Junco said it was shocking the first time he saw a firefighter use it.

"I thought (the patient) was dead. I was like, 'He's not going to make it' and then the firefighters came, they applied the Narcan (and) next thing I see... the patient was alert," he said. "It's amazing how this thing can save so many lives."

As a paramedic, Garcia estimates he saw 3,000 overdoses. Being on the front lines of the opioid crisis can cause many health care providers to feel burnt out, he said.

But Garcia says he feels drawn to helping people and saving lives, even eight years into retirement. He still listens to the police scanner and, when he hears about an overdose nearby, he'll run over and administer Narcan himself.

He has done this 12 times, he says. After one of his workshops in Palm Beach on Thursday, he rushed over to a Walmart parking lot to administer Narcan.

Another time, he was on a date when he pulled over on the side of Interstate 95 to administer Narcan to a man who was passed out in his car.

"Most people don't realize where 'ground zero' is," Garcia said.

There is a misconception that people are overdosing in sober homes and treatment facilities, but people are overdosing in public restrooms and parking lots, he said.

"Lives are going to be saved," he said. "Maybe not today, maybe not this month, but in the next few years, when you least expect it, you're going to use it."