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The Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs in partnership with Ski Town Rotary Club are requesting funding of $4,000.00 from District 5440 in order to help support a public health crisis related to the use and addiction to opioid's. Specifically, each of the two clubs will be pledging $1,000 toward this grant, with a total budget of $6,000.00. Funds from this request would be used to help train, educate and save lives within our Community over the next 12 months.
Opiate narcotic abuse is becoming an epidemic within the Community of Steamboat Springs and Routt County. The Steamboat Pilot and Today newspaper reported that Rout County has seen 14 overdose deaths so far in 2016; a significant increase up from the 5 overdose deaths in both 2013 and 2014. Because of this alarming increase in opioid use in Routt County we are proposing funding of our grant request to accomplish the following:
• Purchase of 80 double dose packs of Narcan. The cost of each double dose is $75.00. There is also a possibility of teaming up with local law enforcement agencies such as the Routt County Sheriff's office in order to get a reduced price on each dose. Such a discount would allow for more than 80 double doses to be purchased.
• Continued opioid awareness seminars hosted by local Rotarians and administered by Rx Task Force.
• Rotarian newsletter communications regarding upcoming Narcan trainings and other Rx Task Force education and outreach events.
• Support and funding to further develop our Community Harm Reduction programs in the Yampa Valley.
The RX Task Force, that was formed with the intent of helping to educate the community of the risks associated with opioid use and help to lower and prevent the number of local overdoses associated with opioid use. If funded this grant will go directly to getting the lifesaving antidote into the hands of local emergency responders as well as trained community members. The use of Narcan and the ability to train members of our community on how to identify an overdose and how to administer the life saving antidote will help to save lives within our community. Addiction always creates interpersonal problems for all family members: conflict between partners, distancing from family, clashing with children, deep emotional trauma, and significant adverse health outcomes including unintentional death. Imagine for a moment, the social related impacts on employment, housing, education and economic viability for Northwest Colorado as more and more families fall into the affliction of an opioid addiction. Addiction is a TEAM sport and eventually all friends and family are called into play whether they want to or not. Several opioid overdose victims in our region left behind successful businesses, partners, children and friends that now flounder in the void of grief and loss. Addiction clearly destroys all aspects of a person's life and eventually impacts the entire family in ways that are unlike other common chronic diseases. Disproportionately, it would seem that our Routt County rural area has seen a dramatic increase of four times the overdose death rate when compared to 2013 Colorado Dept. of Health and Environment data. We graciously request funding of $4,000.00 as part of the Centennial Grant Program in order to save lives and improve the quality of life for many families within Steamboat Springs and Routt County.
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