GREENFIELD — When a person overdoses on heroin or an opioid drug, every minute counts in getting them a dose of potentially life-saving Narcan.
Now, thanks to one Southampton man, the region should expect to see more of the medication on ambulances and in homes soon.
Jared Herman, a Southampton resident whose stepbrother Robert “Court” Benoit died of an overdose in the spring of 2015, hit the road last month with his bike and a digital navigation system, pedaling more than 200 miles to Provincetown to raise funds for the Opioid Task Force.
Though he originally set out to raise $2,222 through pledges and an online crowdsourcing initiative, he ended up netting about four times that amount — $8,000.
“I know it’s so bad in Greenfield, and Court had an apartment here, so I wanted this to have a connection to the area,” Herman said of choosing the Task Force to receive the funds in February. “It has a heroin problem that’s only getting worse, so I want to keep the (Task Force) going as much as possible.
Herman presented the money to Task Force leadership at the Franklin County House of Corrections last week, where they discussed using much of the money to purchase more Narcan for local emergency responders. Had Narcan been available when Benoit overdosed in Shelburne during the spring of 2015, Herman said, he may have been saved.
“It feels reactionary, but it’s what we need now,” said Leeanne Herman, Benoit’s mother.
“All these saves happening in the community will be because of your hard work,” Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan told Herman.
The Hermans said they’d also like to see part of the funding used to help find ways to bring more long-term treatment options to Franklin County or bolster a planned detoxification facility.
Marisa Hebble, the former director of the Opioid Task Force who is now coordinating the state’s Sequential Intercept Model project, said that beyond just raising much-needed money, Herman’s ride also opened up more communication and helped reduce the stigma associated with heroin and opioid addiction.
“Getting rid of that stigma is so important, hopefully more will come and seek help,” she said.
You can reach Tom Relihan at:
trelihan@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 264
On Twitter, follow @RecorderTom