Leaders in health and treatment are still looking for answers in fighting the drug crisis. Fentanyl is wreaking havoc on drug users. A new app called Lifeguard Digital Health has caught the attention of local leaders. The app has reportedly saved 66 lives in three years. In King County alone, 433 people have died this year from a fentanyl overdose.
The app, made in British Columbia and Ontario, is a technology designed to save lives. It is a smartphone app called Lifeguard that aims to connect drug users with first responders within minutes of an overdose. Fast service is needed due to the drug. It is a hundred times more powerful than morphine where a small pinch can cause a fatal overdose.
The danger on the streets are real. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) states that 60% of the pills sold on the streets contain a potentially fatal dose of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. That’s up from 40% coming out of the pandemic two years ago. Nearly 110,000 Americans died from overdoses last year with most deaths coming from fentanyl use.
Some places are using strips that can tell if the drugs they bought is lethal. DEA laboratory tests revealed six out of 10 fake prescription pills found on the streets, are laced with a deadly dose of fentanyl. The Lifeguard app allows the user to fill out their address and any other helpful details before hitting the start button on a timer. A dispatcher then calls the user to double-check he is indeed unreachable before dispatching first responders.
Seattle and King County is also looking at using Lifeguard Lite. This is a wall-mounted physical timer that the health department is in introductory conversations about getting for public use. It is designed with residents of supportive housing in mind where a front desk person can be notified if the user fail to turn off the timer alarm.
Misuse of drugs by users to cope with the pains of life is a national crisis. Fentanyl was created to treat intense pain from ailments like cancer. Its use has become a minster in the drug culture and the harm reduction communities. No other drug is currently more dangerous. Last year the DEA’s Northwest Division seized 8.9 million deadly doses of fentanyl. The shock is that this amout is enough to kill every single person living in the state of Washington.
