Outside The EARL on a recent Sunday afternoon, people gathered at the mainstay in East Atlanta Village to drink beer and catch up with friends a sign of normalcy after a disruptive year brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
But inside, past all the rock music and still more glasses clinking at the bar, were two women seated in front of a banner that read “Don’t Run Call 911!”
They were greeting people and and ushering them into a silent back room for life-saving overdose prevention training.
With people returning in droves to nightlife scenes, bars have reported a wave of overdoses. Interventions such as this training are key to saving lives, say experts such as Dr. Sarah Febres-Cordero, who volunteers with Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition.
Bars host Narcan training after several people reportedly overdose on laced cocaine
ATLANTA (WGCL) Bars in East Atlanta are taking a proactive approach to prevent drug overdoses.
At least five people overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl at or near metro Atlanta bars this week, according to the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition.
“Usually you don’t find fentanyl, an opioid, a downer, in cocaine, a stimulant, an upper,” said Mona Bennett, an ambassador for the organization. “In these cases, I suspect the people were expecting just cocaine, but a lot of drug sellers cut there’s with a lot of other stuff.”
Atlanta bar to give out free Narcan kits to combat overdoses, laced drugs fox5atlanta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fox5atlanta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Cherry Drops include, from left: Jimmy Mason, drums, backing vocals; Josh Cobb, guitar, backing vocals; Vern Shank, lead vocals, percussion; James Markowski, bass. (Vern Shank)
Note: Community Celebration Series performances are at Flagler Auditorium, 5500 East Hwy. 100, Palm Coast. Tickets for each show are $32 plus $2 service fee. Patrons must buy two tickets, and only two tickets may be purchased during each transaction. Tickets are available online at flaglerauditorium.org or by calling the box office at 386-437-7547. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. with pre-concert entertainment at 5:30 p.m.
When the Cherry Drops, that retro-ish pop-rock band fronted by Flagler Beach singer Vern Shank, perform at Flagler Auditorium on Feb. 27, the socially-distanced audience will be treated to the groovy vibe that has caught the ears of Little Steven Van Zandt – yes, Bruce Springsteen’s guitarist and the actor who portrayed mob capo Silvio Dante on “The Sopranos.”