MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — More than five people die every day from opioid overdoses in Arizona according to the Arizona Department of Health Services, which is why Northwest Fire District recently launched a Naloxone Leave Behind Program, administered by ADHS.
It’s programs like this that Tucsonan Theresa Guerrero is happy to see as she lost her own son, Jacob Guerrero in 2020 after he unknowingly took a drug that was laced with fentanyl.
“I see pictures now, it just, just makes me sad, you know, that he had to lose his life,” she said. “But I feel like the loss of his life is hopefully going to be saving, you know, other people’s lives. That’s what I hope the difference is.”
She’s spent the last five years spreading awareness so others don’t have to go through the same experience.
“It's sad when the phone stops ringing, you know, and you don't have those calls anymore,” Guerrero said.
As part of her work, she hands out Narcan.
“Narcan is really something that's important to save a life,” she said.”If Jacob had had that, he would still be alive today, and unfortunately, it was too late for him, so but it's not too late for other people.”
According to ADHS, there were 1,479 confirmed opioid deaths in 2024.
“It affects every community and with these leave behind Narcan kits, it meets our mission statement of ‘save lives, protect property and serve our community,” NWFD Administrative Captain Of EMS, Chris Dawson said.
Each of NWFD’s units is equipped with an overdose reversal kit which can be left with at-risk individuals, their friends or family to use in an emergency.
Naloxone, or the brand name Narcan, is a medication that rapidly reverses opioid overdoses.
“Narcan is super easy, just two milligrams in each nostril,” Dawson said. “They come waking back up, it’s pretty quick.”
Northwest Fire rolled out the program at the start of this year through the First Responders – Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act grant.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
