‘Kimber would be dead’: How an overdose safety hotline saved her life

HARM REDUCTION = DEATH REDUCTION –

August 13, 2021 – “I know the people who ended up dying are the people who come out of rehab and use,” King said. “I just wanted to be safe.”

She called the number. If she hadn’t, she likely would be dead. The hotline is like a virtual version of a supervised consumption site, also known as supervised injection sites — places where people can use drugs they bring while trained staff watch for overdoses. Hotline supporters say it’s a useful harm-reduction tool to decrease overdose deaths. Jessica Blanchard, a volunteer hotline operator who lives in southwest Georgia, picked up the phone when King called. “I always anticipate the worst happening,” said Blanchard, who has been volunteering with the hotline for a year. “But, I doubled down on how I felt with her because I knew what a high risk she had of becoming unresponsive.”That’s because tolerance can change after detox or a period of abstinence, increasing the risk of overdose. When King did become unresponsive, Blanchard called for help. Stephen Murray, a lieutenant with Northern Berkshire EMS, was a member of the team that responded. Murray was shocked when he found out that Never Use Alone had brought him to King’s door. He has been in recovery from substance use disorder for 10 years. Outside his work in EMS, he is an administrator for the Never Use Alone hotline, training volunteers and reviewing calls for quality assurance. “Kimber would be dead had she not called the hotline. It would have been another horrible fatal overdose,” he said. “The impact that has on the community is monumental … The ripple effect is terrible.”