WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ore — Adrian Burris has been sober for about four years now, but he'll never forget the day he overdosed on heroin.
“I was totally alone in a porta-potty,” Burris said.
The 28-year-old could've died, but he came out of it on his own and knows not everybody's as lucky.
“Somebody I started using with he ended up passing away because he was out of jail and didn't have a tolerance, thought he could handle his usual amount, he ended up dying, unfortunately,” Burris said.
That’s what Washington County is hoping to avoid by handing out Naloxone kits. Naloxone or Narcan is a life-saving medicine that reverses an opioid overdose.
“Our medical staff will screen inmates and those they find are at high risk for an opioid overdose will be provided one of these Naloxone kits upon release from the jail,” said Washington County Sheriff's Office Deputy Brian van Kleef.
In addition to the Washington County Jail, Community Corrections, Parole and Probation and Juvenile Services will get some of the 660 naloxone kits to distribute. Washington County joins a growing list of other counties doing the same thing.
“People might say why are you giving out Narcan, you'll just encourage drug users, but at the same time if we can prevent death from overdoses we're going to do it,” Deputy Van Kleef said.
Burris is a big fan of naloxone. In fact, it's readily available at 4th Dimension Recovery Center. That's where he now works as a mentor helping others beat addiction just like he did.
“I got a job, got my license, got some stability in my life,” Burris said.