As attendees recently walked along the path to the Nelsonville Music Festival’s Creekside Stage, they were greeted by not only bright colored decor but also signs offering free naloxone with no questions asked.
This Must Be The Place and the Southeast Ohio Hope Center each hosted tents offering the life-saving drug, also known as naloxone, to anyone in need. Both tents, however, highlighted different aspects of the possible need.
As festival-goers approached This Must Be The Place’s booth, they could see two containers filled with packages containing the drug, as well as informational pamphlets and two individuals manning the booth. Based in Columbus, the company travels to music festivals across the country including Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits and more to provide naloxone.
“We use the power that that music has to attract folks into one place, create a safe space where they're willing to have conversations and maybe be a little bit open-minded that they are around people and they don't know what those people's habits might be,” William Perry, founder and CEO of This Must Be The Place, said.
Perry and his team work to create an atmosphere which welcomes those looking to learn about the drug as well as those who simply want to pick up a package. Dressed in casual clothing to fit in with the feel of the event, Perry and his team greet anyone who approaches the booth and leave the decision of talking up to each individual.
“A lot of people end up feeling very comfortable coming up and asking the questions that they've been wondering,” Perry said. “They see things about fentanyl on the news but maybe don't want it in their Google search history or don't want to talk to the same doctor that prescribes their kid’s asthma medicine. So we're a place that is stigma free that they can come and ask those questions and get trained on how to use naloxone and save a life.”
The Southeast Ohio Hope Center operated a similar system, with naloxone available at no cost to attendees, as well as fentanyl test strips. Additionally, the booth provided support for those in recovery or living sober.
Throughout the day the tent was always available as a safe space to simply sit away from the crowds or talk with a representative for any festival-goer, said Chris MacNeal, executive director of the Southeast Ohio Hope Center. Additionally, the center hosted two recovery meetings each day of the festival to provide a safe space for those who may have struggled with the presence of alcohol or other items at the festival.
“People are welcome to just drop in and be a part of that, just come hang out with us, find some other folks that, you know, that are in recovery,” MacNeal said. “It's just a place that people with all this going on, they can come and feel safe and find some others that are kind of like-minded and get support from each other.”
As a bystander, individuals can look out for a few signs to determine whether administering naloxone is necessary, Seth Coakley, an EMT with Event Medical Staff, said. If an individual is acting drowsy or nodding off, keeping an eye on them is a good idea, he said. From there, he recommends those in the general public wait to administer naloxone until the individual is completely unresponsive.
There is a possibility that the individual receiving naloxone may experience nausea or vomiting as well as disorientation or agitation, Coakley added.
“Coming from our perspective, like an EMS background, if we give someone who’s unresponsive naloxone the possibility of them vomiting and/or waking up and kind of taking a swing at us or becoming very agitated; we’re a little bit more prepared for that,” Coakley said. “But you know, the average person doesn't really expect something to happen, that's why we just kind of advise using caution.”
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