In 2025, End Overdose has teamed up with the Arkansas Department of Public Health to saturate the state with free naloxone and overdose response education. Leading the way on this initiative is Arkansas Outreach & Fulfillment Coordinator Sierra Jeans, a University of Arkansas graduate and Arkansas native. In tandem with Sierra’s work on the ground, ranging from training first responders and treatment centers to community event attendees and festival goers, End Overdose has made naloxone available for free with free shipping on our website for all Arkansas residents. To date, we’ve already distributed over 2,400 doses of naloxone and trained over a thousand residents.

There’s much work to be done, but we’re thrilled about partnering with the state of Arkansas and Sierra’s work to lead the way. Today, we're sharing a conversation with Sierra about the insights she's gleaned as an Arkansas native making lifesaving resources free and accessible for all.

What initiatives have you taken to connect with the Arkansas community? What sort of outreach has been most successful for you so far?

I have taken more of an artistic approach to reach the Arkansas community. I have met with and started partnering with a lot of bands to promote our services to their crowds and music community. Artists have a lot of influence and tend to be very open-minded, so I have found that any artistic community has accepted our vision and mission with open arms and wants to get our services out to as many people within their reach. I have also heavily focused on non-profits. Non-profits tend to be undersupported in many ways, by offering them a free training resource to better serve their clients, word is getting around quickly about what we have to offer.

How would you assess the opioid crisis in Arkansas as someone doing work on the ground? Are there any gaps you see that we can fill as a nonprofit?

The biggest thing Arkansas struggles with in the opioid crisis is a very high dispensing rate of opioids (we are #2 in the nation) and stigma. That being said, a lot of Arkansas residents take opioids, however no one truly talks about it. One answer I have seen a lot at events when talking about carrying naloxone and asking event goers if they are interested in a training is "I don't know anyone 'like that." People equate overdose with addiction or moral failing and not very many people are educated on the full spectrum of drug use. Even those prescribed opioids for treatment after surgery have a hard time understanding that naloxone is important to keep on hand. Naloxone can oftentimes be seen as an enabler rather than life-saving medication.

We can help fill this gap and the disconnect in understanding by just continuing to grow our presence and get our name out there in Arkansas communities. Word of mouth does wonders in southern and rural communities. We are working to build rapport and trust so that we can help fill those gaps and educate on the matter.

What events and outreach initiatives are you preparing for in the near future? What are your goals for your work in Arkansas throughout the rest of 2025?

We are about to hit a super busy season in Arkansas. The weather is warming up quickly, so many community events are coming up that we are preparing to have a presence at. We are also scheduling countless teachers in service trainings for August to prepare and educate school district staffs on how to respond to an overdose. We are also working to fill gaps where overdose response services have once been offered within the state and are no longer being offered by various agencies. I am working a lot to personalize and change the format of our training for various groups such as law-enforcement or pharmacy workers.