Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane Wood.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Fentanyl Solution was started from a desire to bring education and awareness regarding the fentanyl crisis to Orange County to begin with, but with an understanding that this would be a movement that required expansion throughout the state and country in order to truly make a difference.
The numbers are staggering, with current estimates at 300 Americans a day dying from opioid overdoses, but once those numbers are dug into, 250 of those 300 involve fentanyl and its analogues specifically. Estimates are that 75% of fentanyl poisonings are unintentional–individuals who believe they are taking another substance–often Xanax, Adderall, or Percocet.
Fentanyl Solution strives to fill the gaps in the Opioid space and be a resource for the many family foundations and organizations that are working in the space. Nothing can replace the passion of the parents who have lost their children to fentanyl, but so many of these parents are trying to be full-time advocates while also keeping their day jobs. Fentanyl Solution has the privilege of employing multiple staff members who are experts in policy, education, and advocacy. As such, we can dedicate our time to meetings and finding resources to help all of the dedicated individuals who work tirelessly. We want to be a resource for these parents and continue to educate the public to help them understand just how prevalent the epidemic is.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been rewarding but by no means smooth. This is a difficult subject for many to discuss, and there is still so much stigma and misinformation regarding the issue. We have been so fortunate to be able to meet with leaders across the political, professional, and geographical spectrum who have been willing to listen and learn about the facts regarding fentanyl.
However, this work has shown me that the more you learn, the more you need to learn. It is essential to have a learning mindset and be willing to listen to those who have expertise and experience that we haven’t gotten yet.
One of the biggest obstacles we have found in this work is helping people to understand why they should be invested in fixing the problem even before they have been personally affected. The numbers show that Fentanyl does not discriminate by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or geography. It can literally be one day to another that someone who believes themselves immune to this issue finds they have lost a loved one. It only takes an amount of fentanyl the size of a pencil lead to be fatal to an adult, so a single adulterated pill or powder can mean death for someone. 8-10 pills that come into Orange County are believed to contain fentanyl, with the majority of those pills having enough to be potentially fatal. So someone seeking an Adderall to help them study for finals or a Xanax to try to lower their anxiety about an upcoming game can be dead in a matter of minutes after taking one of these laced pills. This is hard for people to truly understand. They have to reframe how they think about substance use. It is not just illicit substances being sold in dark allies; it’s friends sharing pills, trainers giving pain pills, and party drugs that are laced without anyone knowing.
We’ve had so many stories of business leaders, elected officials, and pillars of the community who have taken pills they’ve received from places other than their doctor or pharmacist. They need to know that each one of those is like a loaded gun. You are playing Russian Roulette each time you take one of these. Tools like Naloxone and Fentanyl test strips are essential to help protect yourself and your loved ones, but we have to break down the belief that having these items means someone is doing something “wrong.” They are a tool, just like Band-Aids or antiseptic. They are essential for health, and we need to treat them as such.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Shane K.M Wood is an award-winning educator, director, and designer with a passion for helping people in need. With degrees in Psychology, English Literature, and Theatre Shane looks for new and unique solutions to the challenges presented to him. With more than ten years’ experience teaching university and high school, Shane has dedicated his time to bettering the lives of young people throughout Southern California through work in Basic Needs and Mental Health. He has seen firsthand the devastation that fentanyl poisoning can cause when he lost his father and his brother one year apart. He is honored to be able to use his experience and expertise to help combat this epidemic and looks forward to a day when people are safe and educated.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Fentanyl Solution is always looking for volunteers to help with the mission. We have opportunities for training to help with tabling events and training.
We also need individuals who are interested in helping with social media, design, or clerical work.
Finally, we sustain ourselves by working with businesses and individuals who are passionate and can help us host events or provide opportunities for us to speak to their employees, group members, faculty, or any other gathering.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://fentanylsolution.org/about-us/
- Instagram: fentanylsol
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FentanylSolution
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/fentanylsolution-org/?viewAsMember=true
- Twitter: FentanylSol
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@FentanylSol
