PSTA makes history with overdose-aid initiative

In March, the White House issued a national call to action for community stakeholders to help mitigate opioid overdoses. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority has answered.

PSTA recently became the state’s first transit agency to offer Narcan kits and associated employee training. The naloxone nasal spray reverses opioid overdoses by restoring breathing and consciousness within minutes.

More than one person in Pinellas County died every 14 hours from an opioid-related overdose in 2022, one of the highest rates in the state. Eddie Kester, safety, security and training supervisor for PSTA, said the agency is “pretty proud” of the new initiative.

“Being innovative and engaging with our community in creative ways is like a mark of pride here,” Kester said. “We also lean into the human element of what we do.”

The opioid epidemic shows no signs of abating. In ’22, over 600 people in Pinellas died from overdoses, a trend health officials expect to persist.

The St. Petersburg Police Department recently seized enough fentanyl to kill millions of people in what Chief Anthony Holloway called the city’s “largest drug bust in the last 20 years.” Just two milligrams of the synthetic opioid – 10 to 15 table salt-sized grains – is enough to kill someone.

Kester said PSTA is well aware of the problem through its work with local law enforcement and time spent in the community. “We just know,” he said. “So, when I got the clearance to start looking for a solution and dialing in on what we can do to help, it went from there.”

Kester called the health department, who put him in touch with Dan Zsido, a retired Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office lieutenant. Zsido, who spent most of his 40-year career in narcotics, is training hundreds of PSTA employees on how to use the Narcan kits.

The Clearwater-based Recovery Epicenter Foundation and health department provide the medication at no cost. Kester said PSTA installed the kits Aug. 29, two days before International Overdose Awareness Day.

PSTA’s four terminals – two in St. Petersburg, one in Pinellas Park and one in Clearwater – now carry Narcan. Agency officials affixed the kits next to emergency defibrillators and first aid equipment.

Zsido has already led two training classes, which Kester has incorporated into the onboarding process for new bus operators. The classes are voluntary for administrative staff, and PSTA also installed a kit at its St. Petersburg headquarters.

“We like to get a couple of supervisors and our customer service agents in there because they also occupy forward-facing positions that interact with the public,” Kester said. “They’re in the zones where people are getting on and off buses. They’re in areas we think would have the most positive impact …”

Providing terminal opioid overdose statistics is challenging due to privacy laws. However, Kester said PSTA, like most public organizations, noticed an uptick following the pandemic due to increased mental health issues.

The agency participates in the National Safe Place program. Those in distress can approach employees, who will direct them to community resources.

“We do see people who fall out, who go unresponsive, at our terminals,” Kester said. “It’s difficult to say if it’s an individual is having … a diabetic episode, seizure or an opiate thing.”

A former Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office narcotics investigator is overseeing employee training.

The good news, Kester noted, is that Narcan has no contradictions. “If it’s administered and they don’t come back, maybe it’s a different, pre-existing medical condition,” he explained.

“If they do come back to us, that’s a clue. We will probably be able to get a better idea of what those numbers look like in the future.”

Kester said PSTA has positioned itself in the local continuum of care as part of recent, concerted efforts to become more community-oriented. The overarching goal is to help the most vulnerable receive help.

PSTA plans to install kits on its buses as more employees receive training. Kester noted the program also benefits them – particularly those who work in repairs and maintenance and have a high probability of encountering dangerous substances.

“I’ve already got folks on that team equipped as well for exactly that reason,” he said.

The employee response is a mix of happiness and curiosity, Kester added. He noted that many have loved ones affected by the opioid epidemic.

Kester often asks trainees how they would want a driver to treat their parent, sibling or child if they needed help. “We can’t look past the human part of what we do,” he said. “It’s the most important part of what we do.”