Palm Beach County's fight against opioid addiction isn't over; and neither is our coverage
Palm Beach County's fight against opioid addiction isn't over; and neither is our coverage
We hear you.
A big part of what The Palm Beach Post does on a daily basis is listen to the many varied voices in our communities.
Post reporters try to pay attention to those who, while we may miss them a few times, keep trying to speak up about an issue we all should care about. Of course, they don't hear every last voice all the time. But our reporters, and even photographers and editors, never stop listening.
So eventually, we can help bring an important issue to the forefront of discussion and hopefully force those officials who should be paying attention to do the right thing.
That's what happened this past week with a years-long fight by many of our residents engaged in the ongoing battle against opioid addiction. While many of us have moved on to other issues in our county — like the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, etc. — folks like Maureen Kielian of Southeast Florida Recovery Advocates have refused to let us forget how the opioid epidemic ravaged our county for years. And, that it's not over.
Kielian and others in our community have continued to speak up, and the Post has continued to listen as overdose deaths are once again on the rise. With that, advocates began pushing again for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office deputies to carry Narcan, the lifesaving nasal spray used to revive victims of opioid overdoses.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw had basically answered them with flat "no" because he didn't believe it was necessary for law-enforcement to carry Narcan when all other first-responders carried it. Advocates, with County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay adding her voice to force Bradshaw's hand, were frustrated. Why? Because people could die, needlessly.
Post reporters Hannah Morse and Mike Diamond heard them and began reporting on the controversy. Six months after Morse's first story, Bradshaw last week relented. Here is the top of Diamond's story:
"Palm Beach County Sheriff deputies will soon carry Narcan to revive victims of opioid overdoses.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw reported the policy change Monday in a three-paragraph letter sent to county commissioners. He noted, though, that county commissioners will need to provide a supplemental appropriation of $200,000 as the funds are not included in this year’s or next year’s budget.
The department will conduct a three-year study on frequency and results of officers carrying Narcan to determine continued deployment.
Bradshaw has been under relentless pressure for years to make the policy change. Just a month ago, his top aide, Frank DeMario, told county commissioners during a budget hearing that Bradshaw felt it was not necessary. ... "
Again, this is what we do, over and over again. Every day, with the support of our subscribers, Post reporters and photographers are always out there looking, covering, questioning. Check out more of their work from the past week below.
I hope you enjoy and continue to support local journalism. We'll keep listening.
And please, tell a friend.
Rick Christie
Executive Editor
And you can always reach out to me at rchristie@pbpost.com and find me on Twitter at @rchristiepbp. Or send in a news tip to breakingnews@pbpost.com. Subscribe to independent reporting that supports democracy via subscribe.palmbeachpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: The fight against opioids isn't over; neither is our coverage
