Welcome to the SPIKE Alert Program for Community Members

Opioid-specific safety measures

In addition to responding to the alerts, here are some other safety steps related to heroin, fentanyl and other opioids to take to help your community.

• Encourage community members to recognize signs of an overdose, carry naloxone (Narcan) and know how to use it.
• Suggest the use of fentanyl test strips that detect fentanyl in heroin and other opioids such as Oxycontin or Percocet as well as Xanax.
• Educate community members on Medications for Opioid Use Disorder including methadone, buprenorphine (e.g., Suboxone, Zubsolv) and naltrexone (e.g., Vivitrol).

General safety measures

Here are some other suggestions to reduce overdoses regardless of the substances involved.

• Share the Good Samaritan Laws applicable in your state
• Educate community members on harm reduction measures including:
  • Use extra caution if using alone – let a friend know to check on you via text or another method
  • If in a group, stagger use
  • Try snorting or smoking rather than injecting
  • If injecting, use clean, sterile syringes and don’t share them with others
  • Use test amounts – go low and slow
  • Don’t mix drugs, including alcohol
• Connect peer recovery coaches in your community, if available, with people at risk of an overdose
• Offer community resources that can help with stable housing, food stamps, insurance sign-up, medical services and transportation. With these basics in place, many people will consider treatment

Know families needing help?

Partnership to End Addiction offers extensive confidential support for family members in your community with a child of any age struggling with substance use. Check out our free resources including our helpline, peer parent coaching program, Help & Hope by text, online support community and more.