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    BRIEFS: HCPL hosts Veterans Resource Fair; City High class of ’75 reunion; HPD wants help finding car thieves

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

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    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

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    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

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    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

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    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    No Kentucky Home, Part 4: A missing bench comes to symbolize missing solutions to homelessness

    No Kentucky Home, Part 3: A church called its vision for housing a ‘Beacon of Hope.’ The mayor had concerns.

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    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

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    Flying through ATL this travel season? Lucky you

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    BRIEFS: HCPL hosts Veterans Resource Fair; City High class of ’75 reunion; HPD wants help finding car thieves

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    Thomason’s plans growth and with it, a broader distribution of its famous baked beans

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    WEHT/WTVW employees rally for their union

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Good News: Habitat breaks ground on another build; future owner ‘overwhelmed with joy’

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pittsburg uses new construction process to build a new type of water storage tank

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

    Pitching ace Kemp uses bat to send Lady Cols to state again

    Trending Tags

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    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    Blazing-fast broadband services now available to the majority of homes in the city and county

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    HMP&L signs initial agreement to build a battery energy storage system on South Green Street

    In some parts of the U.S., the grid of the future might be closer than you think

    Trending Tags

  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Gaming
    • Movie
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    Henderson joins West Kentucky Film Commission with hopes of luring movie makers here

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

    Executive director says this year’s arts alliance lineup gives people what they want

    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

    2000 baseball Cols remember fondly state championship season a quarter century later

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    Summer Sunset Series, SummerFest ratchet up Henderson festival season this week

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

    May the summer blockbuster season begin!

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Travel
    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    The Gnomes of Audubon Forest, a Henderson Tourist Commission initiative, is a scavenger hunt for all ages

    No Kentucky Home, Part 4: A missing bench comes to symbolize missing solutions to homelessness

    No Kentucky Home, Part 3: A church called its vision for housing a ‘Beacon of Hope.’ The mayor had concerns.

    No Kentucky Home, Part 2: After living outdoors for weeks, she got a place to sleep, a shower — and a job

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    HCHS grad Tyler Brocato currently competing in a national chef competition

    Flying through ATL this travel season? Lucky you

    Flying through ATL this travel season? Lucky you

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S T O P: Officials hope new project brings awareness and education about opioids and fentanyl

Vince Tweddell by Vince Tweddell
October 5, 2023
in Local, News
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S T O P: Officials hope new project brings awareness and education about opioids and fentanyl

Garrett Eblen speaks at the project launch for STOP, a community education project developed by the Center for Addiction Recovery. Eblen overdosed on fentanyl in January and was saved by two Henderson police officers who responded and administered Narcan to him. (Hendersonian Photo/Vince Tweddell)

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January was a particularly harrowing month in Henderson when fentanyl overdoses soared and five people lost their lives to the drug.

“By the grace of God,” says Henderson resident Garrett Eblen—he wasn’t one who died.

Eblen, 33, spoke at the launch for a new initiative called Stop The Overdose Project to educate the community about the dangers of drugs, including the deadly fentanyl.

Angie Gatten, the community addiction awareness coordinator for the Center for Addiction Recovery, will lead STOP. Gatten was hired in May and since has been preparing and researching.

Now with the project launch behind her, she’s ready to hit the ground running. She plans an exhaustive and aggressive campaign to reach as many eyes and ears in the community as possible. She has created an interactive program that touches on numerous facts about opioids and fentanyl. She wants to present anywhere and everywhere—churches, schools, community gathering spots. She just needs a WiFi hotspot and she’s set, she said.

She said a greater awareness needs to be present throughout Henderson County.

“It is everywhere in our community,” Gatten said. “And we have to be on the lookout for it.”

In remarks at the launch event, Henderson Police Department Chief Sean McKinney said he met with several community partners in late 2022 to discuss the rising use of fentanyl in Henderson.

“None of us knew what January 2023 held in store for us,” he said.

In addition to the five deaths, there were 21 overdoses, he said.

He said the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office, Kentucky State Police and Henderson Police Department have combined for 190 drug-related arrests in the community in 2023. And outside of January this year, the average fentanyl overdose is 4 per month. He said vigilance must remain high.

“It’s still happening,” McKinney said. “It’s still here.”

Eblen said he is a survivor of an inadvertent fentanyl overdose occurring on January 11 at a friend’s house. He said he was using cocaine and—unknown to him—there had been some fentanyl mixed in with it.

This is the particularly scary aspect of fentanyl—drug dealers can mix it in with drugs they’re selling in an attempt to give a user a new, better high. But it’s also scary for people who think they may be using pharmaceuticals because dealers now have presses that can create pills that appear they’re from a pharmaceutical drug company.

A person taking a pill may think it’s a certain dose when in fact it contains a high amount of fentanyl. Officials say to obtain prescription pills only from certified pharmacies–never borrow or accepts pills from someone else.

“You don’t have to be an opiate user,” Eblen said. “It can be anybody.”

After Eblen overdosed, 911 was called and Henderson Police Department officers Daniel Pennaman and Brooke Cassmeyer arrived and administered Narcan.

“Without (Narcan) and first responders, I wouldn’t be here today,” Eblen said.

He said three hours later, Dale Sights, president and CEO of both the Women’s Addiction Recovery Manor in Henderson and the Men’s Addiction Recovery Campus in Bowling Green, arrived at the hospital and gave him a choice to turn his life around.

 Eblen made that choice.

He’s now a graduate of MARC’s initial recovery program and currently works there, teaching classes and offering peer support.

Eblen said he was born and raised in Henderson and graduated from Henderson County High School in 2007. He said he started using drugs when he was a teenager. He said if not for the quick action of Pennaman and Cassmeyer, his 9-year-old son would be fatherless.

“Today, I get an opportunity to buy back-to-school supplies and braces for my son,” he said. “Today I have a family that not only gets to see me but enjoys seeing me.”

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Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell

Vince Tweddell is the founder, publisher and editor of the Hendersonian.

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