Help Win the War Against Fentanyl

The epidemic of deaths in Metro Vancouver caused by fentanyl continues to rapidly grow. Prescribed by physicians to help control severe pain, fentanyl is a syn-

Graffiti found in Vancouver, the “City of Dope,” promoting the use of Naloxone kits

thetic opioid 10 to 100 times stronger than heroin.Unfortunately, fentanyl is often mixed with other drugs in illegal labs and sold on the streets. Users don’t realize they have consumed drugs laced with fentanyl until after consumption, and

 

may be mere minutes away from irreversible or fatal consequences. Fentanyl has taken away the lives of many fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and students. More precisely, B.C. Coroners Service reported in September, 2018 that over 76% of drug related deaths are caused by illicit fentanyl, illustrating the powerful impact of this silent killer.

A possible solution to ‘winning the war’ against the drug that has taken numerous lives is a wearable device created by Sampath Satti, a biomedical engineering student at the University of British Colombia. The primary solution is “Naloxone,” a medication that quickly  reverses the effects of an overdose. It can be administered via injection or nasal spray. The problem is, many individuals don’t own or carry a kit with them. Our organization, Before It Hits consisting of professors and researchers from the University of British Columbia, have partnered with Satti and his team to create a non-invasive wearable device that will look at pulse rate and calculates the respiration rate. These aforementioned markers of an onset overdose will connect to the users phone and call 911.

We ask you to help us win the war against fentanyl by donating today. Your donation will help us fund our research and to purchase materials to create this weapon for overcoming this epidemic. Our highly knowledgeable and dedicated staff have also lost loved one’s to this war. Thus, we want to help as much as you do and will donate $20 from our own pockets per donation made. Lets unite and reduce the amount of lives taken away by this enemy – fentanyl.