RICHLAND, Wash. – The opioid epidemic continues to affect communities across the nation. Narcare, a Seattle-based organization founded by University of Washington students, is working to combat this crisis by providing education on overdose and addiction.
Annika Samra, originally from Richland, plays a key role in Narcare’s mission. Now a student at the University of Washington, Samra is a board member of the student-run organization. “I think there’s a very large misconception right now that you have to be an expert in addiction to help out when in reality you just need to care,” said Samra.
Narcare’s mission is to offer unrestricted access to naloxone and stigma-free harm reduction education. They treat addiction as a public health crisis, not a personal failure. “Our goal is to give people what they need to intervene, meaning unrestricted access to naloxone as well as stigma-free harm reduction education. We also treat addiction as a public health crisis rather than a personal failure, because stigma is what prevents people from seeking help or communities from taking action,” said Samra.
The impact of addiction became clear to Samra after moving to Seattle for school. “When I moved to Seattle for school, it was kind of like a shock. It was very eye opening because people walk past people overdosing on the streets or people obviously struggling with addiction, as if it’s just a norm or this is just something out of their daily routine, which I thought was very inhumane and kind of dystopian in a way,” she said.
Samra and her fellow students at Narcare are committed to educating their community about drug safety. “At the University of Washington, we were actually able to get Narcan distributed in vending machines at some of the largest libraries on campus,” Samra said.
Her experiences with Narcare have inspired Samra to pursue a career in the medical field. “I know about inequalities in healthcare, but seeing it in everyday life, not only in healthcare but in just the community in general, kind of just touched me in a way to really pursue my medical journey. Because it made me realize I want to make a change,” she said.
Samra, who is pre-med at the University of Washington, hopes to bring her education and experiences back to the Tri-Cities, where her journey began.
If you’re located in the Tri-Cities and would like to get involved with Narcare, you can reach out to Narcare at Southridge High School on social media.
