Emergency Overdose Summit to be held in Springfield on Tuesday

In response to the recent spike in drug overdoses in Springfield, recovery experts and advocates are organizing an emergency Springfield Overdose Summit.

The summit will be 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, at The Well in downtown Springfield (420 W. College St.) A light breakfast and lunch will be served for those who want to stay all day, or people can drop in to hear specific panels. 

The event is free.

Students and professionals who stay all day can earn six free continuing education units through the Missouri Credentialing Board.

David Stoecker, the director of the nonprofit Better Life in Recover and the Springfield Recovery Community Center, is helping organize the event.

Related:Two deaths connected to spike in drug overdoses: Here's how to stay safe

"Our primary mission with this summit is for people to leave and know how they can help a person get into treatment, get into a recovery home or talk to them about harm reduction," Stoecker said. "We are going to do everything we possibly can to ensure people stay alive long enough to find recovery."

Here's a look at the itinerary:

8:30 a.m. Light breakfast and registration.

9 a.m. Community Leader Panel. This panel will include city officials such as Tom Van De Berg, chief forensic investigator with the Greene County Medical Examiner's Office.

10 a.m. EPPICC (Engaging Patients in Care Coordination) Panel. EPPICC is a new program coming to area hospitals, Stoecker said. This panel will feature the four certified peer specialists who have been hired for this program, which will be available 24/7 at both Cox and Mercy hospitals in Springfield and Cox in Branson.

"If somebody overdoses or has some substance use complication and goes to the hospital, a certified peer specialist meets with them within an hour to talk about their options," Stoecker explained. "Whether it's treatment, medication, support groups — making sure they know the resources that are available to them and help them engage."

Drugs:Number of overdoses in Springfield climbs to 40 in 7 days as spike continues

Stoecker said the peer specialists have already been hired and are just finishing up paperwork and contracts with the hospitals. Two are employed through Burrell Behavioral Health. The other two are employed through Preferred Family Healthcare. 

The peer specialists have been visiting other already-established EPPICC programs throughout the state. For the panel, they will share what the program will look like and what they hope to accomplish here.

11 a.m. Treatment/Medication First Panel. This panel will include representatives from Burrell Behavioral Health and Preferred Family Healthcare, two major treatment providers in Springfield. Stoecker said he is working to get representatives from the Cox Center for Addiction and Jordan Valley Community Health Center, as well. 

"I want people to leave knowing how to engage in the resources that we have in the community with treatment and housing," Stoecker said,"whether it is someone that is using or it is someone that cares about someone who is using."

Panelists will explain what their programs are, what is the process to get in for an assessment, how long it takes to get it, etc.

12 p.m. Lunch and community networking. 

1 p.m. Resource Panel. This panel will include representatives from housing programs and recovery residences. Someone from New Beginning Sanctuary will be part of this panel. New Beginning Sanctuary, a nondenominational faith-based program, is certified by the National Association of Recovery Residences, Stoecker said. 

Other faith-based recovery homes will likely have information tables set up at the summit, Stoecker said.

This panel will also feature Rachel Hudson, Greene County's SUDL (Substance Use Disorder Liaison) and Josh Lien from the Springfield Recovery Center.

Stoecker said he is looking to add more to this panel.

2 p.m. Opioid 101/Narcan Training. Stoecker will explain how opioids work, how they interact with the body and why they have the impact they have on people.

He will then explain how to use Narcan, the overdose antidote. There will be free Narcan kits available at the summit, though Stoecker is not sure how many.

"I will have some. I'm trying to get more delivered," he said. "Literally we have gone through 400 Narcan kits since Thursday."

Each kit contains two doses.

3 p.m. Harm Reduction 101. Chad Sabora, co-founder of Missouri Network of Opiate Recovery and Reform, will be Skyped in for this panel. Sabora is one of the leading harm reduction experts in the country, Stoecker said.

Sabora was instrumental in getting third-party access to Narcan legislation, as well as Missouri's Good Samaritan 911 bill passed.

Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use, according to the Harm Reduction Coalition's website. Harm reduction is also a movement for social justice built on a belief in, and respect for, the rights of people who use drugs.

Harm reduction includes encouraging those who use drugs to do so in a manner that prevents them from dying from an overdose (don't use behind a locked door, have Narcan, don't use alone, etc.)

Stoecker often speaks about harm reduction to organizations and churches.

"I want everybody to have the opportunity to find recovery," he said earlier. "And dead people never do. I'm tired of parents burying their children."

Find the Facebook event page by searching for "Springfield Overdose Summit."

Fentanyl test strips available soon

Stoecker expects to have fentanyl test strips available at the summit. (His most recent order has been shipped. But as of Wednesday afternoon, it had not yet arrived.)

The strips can be used to detect if a person's cocaine, methamphetamine or heroin has been laced with fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is similar to morphine, but is 50-100 times more potent. Dealers often cut their product with fentanyl, without telling buyers.

Many suspect fentanyl is the cause of the recent overdose spike.

Stoecker said the test strips will be given away for free, but he is asking takers for a donation. He recently held a fundraiser to purchase the strips that are currently en route.

A shipment of 500 strips costs $700, he said. Stoecker hopes to have enough money to order another 500 strips because he fears the strips will go fast due to the recent overdose spike.

"If it saves one person's life, I think that is $700 very well spent," he said, "for that mom or dad that has their kid come back home."