Project Gabe is an opioid overdose prevention program for commercial fishermen. Fishing is physically demanding, with workers enduring long hours in adverse weather and high-stress conditions. Work-related musculoskeletal injuries are common, increasing the likelihood of being prescribed opioids for pain and increasing the risk of opioid dependence and misuse. Project Gabe is a resource for harm reduction, providing opioid misuse awareness and education, opioid antagonist training, and medications to reverse the effect of opioids temporarily. This project will provide fishermen with opioid overdose response tools, including naloxone, opioid misuse education, and recovery resources, in a manner that is accessible, easy to understand, and easy to implement. Project Gabe will be assessed and improved using the CDC Program Evaluation Framework from a Systems Theory Perspective to address the complex needs of the crisis. As a short and long-term outcome, evaluation, development, and improvement of Project Gabe should reduce opioid overdose fatalities in the commercial fishing industry.
Denise Damewood, Principal Investigator
Nurse Consultant for State of Alaska Public Health and Alaska Marine Safety Education Association (AMSEA)