DHSS to launch Project Gabe to prevent opioid overdose deaths to Alaska industrial workers

In an effort to provide opioid misuse awareness, education and prevention resources, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) launched a new effort this summer called Project Gabe to industrial workers.

Project Gabe is named in honor of Gabe Johnston, who died of an opioid overdose in January of this year and was the son of Sitka Public Health Nurse Denise Ewing.

In a DHSS press release, Project Gabe, in cooperation with Project HOPE, plans to distribute naloxone (aka Narcan), a medication that can reverse an opioid overdose, and fentanyl test strips, which can test for the presence of fentanyl in drugs, to working Alaskans.

The program is being implemented first within fisheries in Southeast Alaska, by Public Health Nursing in partnership with the Office of Substance of Misuse and Addiction Prevention and members of the seafood industry.

Later on, the project will be expanded to include other industries and geographic regions.

“The majority of our workforce fits into the highest risk age group for drug overdose deaths – men who are 25-34 years old,” said Bill Grant, plant production manager at Sitka Sound Seafood. “We care about our people and are grateful to have the tools to do something about it in an emergency.”

Project Gabe aims to provide education and naloxone free of charge by installing opioid emergency boxes in common rooms within processing facilities, bunkhouses and offices; distribute Narcan in water-resistant bags to fishing fleet vessels; provide opioid overdose kits to keep on hand in any location; and to partner with industry to provide education to Alaska workers about the risks of opioids and substance misuse

“This project builds on work already being done throughout the state by delivering an important message directly through workplaces to working Alaskans. Naloxone is safe to use and easy to administer. Project Gabe makes it even more accessible as time is critical in an overdose,” said Dr. Anne Zink, Alaska Chief Medical Officer. “Naloxone can save a life when used right away, and we need to ensure it is widely available in every ship, every processor, every workplace in Alaska. Project Gabe is a critical step in that direction, sadly in memory of a young man gone too soon.”

“This project is providing a way for me to help others as I grieve the loss of our son,” Ewing said. “Gabe was bright, witty, opinionated, adventurous and full of creative energy. He loved hunting, camping, fishing and being outdoors. He was first introduced to drugs during his teenage years from a friend whose father had been prescribed pain medications. Unfortunately, Gabe became addicted after one pill, which led to more than 14 years of polysubstance abuse.”

For more information or to connect with Project Gabe, email projectGabe@alaska.gov.

For information about opioids in Alaska visit opioids.alaska.gov.