Bill Gerhart: Loss and Action in the Opioid Crisis, Part 2

In Part 1, Bill Gerhart shared his son Connor’s story and discussed the dangers of fentanyl. In Part 2, Bill shares more about the fentanyl crisis, why he feels prosecuting those who sell it is necessary, and what he’s doing to raise awareness. He also reflects on his belief that there’s opportunity in every event, and how he moves forward with that perspective.

"I'm a big believer that there's opportunity in every negative event and even horrible, tragic events like this, where you have a child pass away early in life. And I'm not sure if I've found the opportunity yet, but one of the clear opportunities is to cherish life, cherish your friends, your family."

Hear Bill talk about:

• Giving away Narcan at Connor’s memorial service so others might be saved
• Why awareness and access to treatment matter more than ever
• The role of cartels, supply chains, and prosecution in the fentanyl epidemic
• His hopes for developing a new, non-opioid addiction treatment
• How this tragedy has made him appreciate his friends and family even more

Mentioned in this episode and references:

• If someone you care about is battling opioid addiction, find resources here
• Learn more about Naloxone (Narcan), the reversal drug Bill and his family gave out at Connor's Celebration of Life
• Read more about the crisis and the DEA's "One Pill Can Kill" awareness campaign

This week's music is by Ievgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay.