Navigating Addiction: Education, Intervention, and Support
Host Karen Nowick leads an engaging discussion on addiction with guests Carey Davidson and Stephanie Siete, who emphasize the urgent need for education and intervention to combat substance abuse. Highlighting the rise of opioid-related deaths, particularly among youth due to fentanyl-laced pills, they stress the importance of providing support to affected individuals and families.
Carey and Stephanie introduce the NarStop™ device, advocating for its installation in public spaces to raise awareness and provide easy access to naloxone, underscoring the interconnectedness of societal issues and the collective responsibility to address drug abuse.
Introducing the launch of NarStop™, a new way to combat the fentanyl opioid crisis by creating awareness, education and a “ready to save a life at risk” rescue unit.
Like a wall mounted AED defibrillator, NarStop™ is compact, easy to install, and provides a permanent location to get help in case of the event of life-threatening exposure to fentanyl or other opioids.
Despite the existence of life-saving opioid overdose medication, there is currently no organized public emergency response system for an overdose emergency beyond calling 9-1-1. It is a critical problem because there may be only seconds to save a life. This led to the development of the patent pending NarStop™ overdose rescue units. NarStop™ units make instructions and medication immediately accessible to the public in an overdose emergency.
Carey Davidson holds a master’s degree in counseling and addiction studies. He is an Internationally Certified Advanced Drug and Alcohol Counselor (ICADAC) and a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP), along with several other certifications in his field of study.
Carey was formerly the President of the Network of Independent Interventionists. He also served on the Arizona Board of Certification of Addiction Counselors and the Therapeutic Consultants Association Board, and he is currently a member of the Association of Intervention Specialists.
For more than 20 years, Carey has been helping families overcome drug and alcohol dependency. In the course of his work, Carey’s mission is to make Narstop overdose rescue stations a common companion to AED devices and other life-saving equipment in public spaces.
Community Bridges is a behavioral health organization in Arizona with a 40 year history of saving lives from the devastation of substance abuse. They work with individuals assessing mental health and behaviors, while focusing on prioritizing quality of life. There is also a big effort on teaching prevention before the problem, by educating the general public about drugs of abuse.
Fentanyl is deadly and can kill with one pill. There is no room for experimentation. Vaping is a dangerous behavior and young people are burning the lining of their lungs with nicotine, marijuana and opioids. Community Bridges exists to prevent, intervene and treat people struggling with these poisons destroying America.
Stephanie Siete is an educator and motivator. She began her career with Community Bridges, Inc. (CBI) in 2002 and is currently the Public Information Officer (PIO). She has spent her career training and networking with local and national police and fire departments, healthcare providers and governmental agencies about community drug issues.
She has hosted seminars for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Arizona School Resource Officer Association (ASROA), High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) in Florida and Ohio, International Narcotics Interdiction Association (INIA), and International Latino Gang Investigators Association (ILGIA). Her work with the FBI earned her the honor of the 2016 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award – Phoenix Division.
Stephanie was recognized in Washington DC by former FBI Director, James Comey, in April 2017. And in late 2017 also received the Sierra Tucson Hope Recognition Award from her colleagues in the field of addiction. She became a member and speaker for PAVE (Parents Against Vaping and E-Cigs) and TFK (Tobacco Free Kids) in 2020. She works with area coalitions and national organizations to change tobacco laws with goals of protecting children from becoming addicted to these flavored poisons.