The critical role librarians play in the opioid crisis | Chera Kowalski

Translator: Candela Lafuente Reviewer: Serv. de Norm. Lingüística U. de Santiago de Compostela

When you walk into your neighborhood public library,

Cando entras na biblioteca pública do teu barrio,

you expect the librarian to help you find your next favorite book

esperas que o bibliotecario che axude a atopar o teu próximo libro favorito

or some accurate information on a topic at interest.

ou algunha información específica sobre un tema que che interesa.

You don't probably expect the librarian

O que probablemente non esperes do bibliotecario

to come running out from behind the reference desk with Narcan,

é que saia correndo do mostrador con Narcan,

ready to revive someone overdosing on heroin or fentanyl.

preparado para salvar a alguén dunha sobredose de heroína ou fentanil.

But this is happening at some libraries.

Pero isto está pasando nalgunhas bibliotecas.

Public libraries have always been about community support

As bibliotecas públicas serviron sempre de apoio á comunidade

with all kinds of services and programs

con todo tipo de servizos e programas,

from assisting with job seeking efforts

dende axudando a buscar emprego

to locating resources for voter rights

ata provendo de recursos para os dereitos dos votantes

to providing free meals to kids and teens even.

e mesmo ofrecendo comida de balde a cativos e adolescentes.

But what we think of as community support takes on new urgency

Pero o que entendemos por apoio á comunidade adquire unha nova urxencia

when you're in the middle of an opioid and overdose crisis.

cando estás no medio dunha crise de opioides e de sobredoses.

I work at the McPherson Square Library of the Free Library of Philadelphia.

Traballo na Biblioteca da Praza McPherson da Biblioteca Pública de Filadelfia.

It's located in Kensington,

Está situada en Kensington,

one of the lowest income communities in Philadelphia,

unha das poboacións con menos ingresos de Filadelfia,

with a long history of being isolated from resources and opportunity.

cunha longa historia de privación de recursos e oportunidades.

And because of that,

E por iso,

it has been the center to the city's drug trade and drug use for decades.

durante décadas foi o centro de tráfico e consumo de drogas da cidade.

And so inside the neighborhood,

No interior do barrio,

our library is nestled inside of a park,

a nosa biblioteca está situada dentro dun parque

which has unfortunately garnered a reputation

que lamentablemente colleu a fama

for being a place to find and use drugs,

de ser un lugar onde atopar e consumir estupefacientes,

especially heroin,

especialmente heroína,

out in the open,

ao aire libre,

putting us and the community in direct contact

poñéndonos a nós e á poboación en contacto directo

with the drug trade and use on a daily basis.

co tráfico e consumo diario de drogas.

And so inside the library,

E no interior da biblioteca,

it is routine to see people visibly intoxicated on opioids:

é moi común atopar xente visiblemente intoxicada por opioides:

eyes closing, body swaying slowly.

ollos pechados, movementos lentos e inestables...

It is routine for me to ask them if they are OK,

É común para min preguntarlles se están ben

but at the same time remind them

e ao mesmo tempo lembrarlles que se non poden manter os ollos abertos,

if they can't keep their eyes open,

they have to go.

teñen que marchar.

It is routine for our volunteer, Teddy,

É común que Teddy, o noso voluntario,

to pick up dozens of discarded needles on our property and throughout the park.

recolla decenas de xiringas desbotadas pola propiedade e por todo o parque.

And it is normal for kids to come into the library

E é normal que os rapaces entren á biblioteca

to tell me or our guard, Sterling,

para dicirme a min ou ao noso garda Sterling

that someone is outside using,

que alguén está fóra consumindo,

which typically means finding someone injecting on our front steps,

o que polo xeral significa atopar a alguén inxectándose nas escaleiras da entrada,

benches

nos bancos,

or near the building,

ou preto do edificio.

then asking them to move along because kids see them.

Entón pedímoslles que se vaian porque os rapaces estanos vendo.

And it is normal for the community

E é normal que a comunidade

to see people in various states of intoxication and withdrawal,

vexa xente en varios estados de intoxicación e de abstinencia,

to see people buying and selling,

vexa xente mercando ou vendendo,

and to see people act and react violently.

e que vexa xente actuar e reaccionar dunha forma violenta.

I'm not sharing this to sensationalize Kensington.

Non estou contando isto para facer sensacionalismo con Kensington.

I'm sharing this because this is the reality of a community

Fágoo porque esta é a realidade dunha comunidade

that is constantly striving to move forward,

que loita todo o tempo por saír adiante,

but due to factors like structural racism,

pero debido a factores como o racismo estrutural,

urban segregation,

a segregación urbana,

the cyclical nature of poverty,

a natureza cíclica da pobreza,

of trauma --

do trauma...

the community has inequitable access

a comunidade ten acceso desigual

to education, health care, employment and more.

á educación, atención médica, emprego e moito máis.

And this is also what it's like when the drug trade and use

E isto é o que acontece cando o tráfico e consumo de drogas

affects every aspect of life in the neighborhood.

afecta a cada aspecto da vida no barrio.

And the opioid epidemic has only amplified that stress.

E a epidemia de opioides non fixo máis que amplificar ese estrés.

When I was hired by the Free Library in 2013,

Cando me contrataron para a Biblioteca Pública en 2013,

I specifically chose to work at McPherson

escollín traballar especificamente en McPherson

because I understand what it's like to grow up in an environment

porque sei o que é medrar nun ambiente

where substance use disorder shapes the everyday,

onde o trastorno por consumo de estupefacientes moldea o día a día,

and I wanted to use those personal experiences

e quería utilizar esas experiencias persoais

as a guide for my work.

como guía para o meu traballo.

But before I get to that,

Pero antes de chegar a iso,

I want to share what it was like

quero compartir como foi

to witness this epidemic grow in Kensington.

ser testemuña do crecemento desta epidemia en Kensington.

Like many other communities, we were just not prepared.

Como moitas outras comunidades, simplemente non estabamos preparados.

We began to take notice of IDs we were seeing:

Puxémonos a tomar nota das identificacións que viamos:

addresses from nearby and upstate counties

enderezos próximos e do norte do condado

and then slowly out-of-state ones.

e despois, aos poucos, os de fóra do estado.

People from Arkansas, Ohio, South Carolina, Alabama

Xente de Arkansas, Ohio, Carolina do Sur, Alabama

coming to Philadelphia for cheap heroin.

vindo a Filadelfia por heroína barata.

People began to linger longer and longer in our public restroom,

A xente comezou a demorarse cada vez máis e máis tempo no noso baño público,

causing us to pay more attention to the restroom

facendo que prestaramos máis atención ao baño

than to our daily responsibilities

que ás nosas responsabilidades cotiás

because it was an accessible place to use drugs just purchased.

porque era un lugar accesible para consumir drogas acabadas de mercar.

One day our toilet clogged so badly in the restroom,

Un día o inodoro do noso baño atascouse de tal xeito,

we were forced to close our library for two days

que nos vimos forzados a pechar a biblioteca durante dous días,

because the culprit of the clog was discarded needles.

xa que as culpables da obstrución foran as xiringas desbotadas.

For a while prior to that incident,

Un tempo antes do incidente estiveramos insistindo en pór

we had been asking for a sharps container for the restroom,

recipientes para obxectos cortantes no baño,

and after that,

e despois diso,

the library administration quickly approved installing one

a administración da biblioteca rapidamente aprobou instalar un

along with hiring bathroom monitors.

e contratou vixiantes para o baño.

And as the weather warmed,

A medida que o tempo se puña cálido, loitabamos por responder.

we struggled to respond.

People began camping out in the park for days, weeks.

A xente comezou a acampar no parque durante días, semanas...

You could walk outside on a sunny, warm day

Podías camiñar fóra nun día cálido de sol

to find multiple groups of people in various states of intoxication

e atopar unha multitude en varios estados de intoxicación

and children playing in between them.

e rapaces xogando entre eles.

The amount of needles collected by Teddy on a monthly basis skyrocketed

A cantidade de xiringas que Teddy recollía por mes saltou

from 100 to 300 to 500 to 800,

de 100 a 300, a 500, a 800,

to over 1,000,

ata máis de 1.000.

with many found on our front steps and the playground.

Moitas delas atopadas nas escaleiras da entrada e no parque infantil.

Then there were the overdoses.

Despois estaban as sobredoses.

So many occurred outside in the park,

Moitas ocorrían fóra no parque,

some inside the library.

outras... dentro da biblioteca.

Sterling, our guard, would spend his time walking in and out of the building

O noso garda Sterling pasaba o tempo entrando e saíndo do edificio

and throughout the park,

e por todo o parque,

constantly making sure everyone was safe,

asegurándose en todo momento de que todo o mundo estivera ben.

because at times,

Porque por veces,

our fear of having someone overdose and die came close.

o noso temor a que alguén morrera de sobredose era real.

One overdose in particular occurred after school,

Unha sobredose en concreto ocorreu despois da escola,

so the library was full of kids, noise and commotion.

polo que a biblioteca estaba ateigada de rapaces, ruído e barullo.

And in all of that,

E no medio de todo iso,

we heard the thud from inside the public restroom.

escoitamos un golpe seco que proviña do baño público.

When we opened the door, we found a man on the floor, unresponsive.

Cando abrimos a porta, atopamos un home no chan, inconsciente.

He was pulled out in plain sight of everyone --

Sacárono diante da vista de todos:

kids, teens, adults, families.

nenos, adolescentes, adultos, familias...

Someone on staff called 911,

Un empregado chamou ao 911,

someone else escorted the kids and teens downstairs,

outro levou aos nenos e adolescentes ao piso inferior,

somebody went to flag down the ambulance in the park.

alguén foi avisar á ambulancia no parque.

And the rest of us --

E o resto de nós...

we just waited.

tan só agardamos.

This had become our overdose drill

Convertérase no noso adestramento en sobredose

because at the time, it was all we could do.

porque nese momento, era todo o que podíamos facer.

So we waited and we watched this man lose air --

Así que esperamos e vimos a este home perder aire,

seize up.

paralizarse...

He was dying.

Estaba morrendo...

I don't know how many of you have witnessed an overdose on opioids,

Non sei cantos de vós presenciastes unha sobredose de opioides,

but it's horrific

pero é arrepiante

because you know the gasping for air,

porque sabes que a dificultade respiratoria,

the loss of color in someone's face,

a perda de cor na cara,

is a timer running down on the chances of this person surviving.

é unha conta atrás nas posibilidades desta persoa para sobrevivir.

But luckily for this man,

Pero por sorte para este home,

the ambulance arrived

a ambulancia chegou

and he received a dose of naloxone through injection.

e inxectáronlle unha dose de naloxona.

And I remember he jolted like he was electrocuted,

E lembro que se sacudiu como se se electrocutara,

and he pulled the needle out,

sacou a xiringa,

and he told the paramedics to back off.

e díxolles aos paramédicos que o deixaran en paz.

And then he stood up, and he walked out.

E despois ergueuse e marchou.

And we --

E nós...

we went back to work

nós volvemos ao traballo

because people were still asking for time on the computers,

porque a xente seguía pedindo utilizar os ordenadores,

kids still needed help with their homework

os cativos aínda necesitaban axuda cos deberes

and this was our job --

e este era o noso traballo, a nosa función.

our purpose.

I think that incident stays with me because of the waiting.

Penso que teño o incidente na cabeza por causa desa espera.

It made me feel helpless.

Fíxome sentir impotente.

And it was that feeling of helplessness that reminded me so well of my childhood.

E foi ese sentimento de impotencia o que me lembrou moi ben a miña infancia.

Before I was born, both of my parents began using heroin.

Antes de que nacera, meus pais xa consumían heroína.

It made our lives chaotic and unstable:

Iso fixo as nosas vidas caóticas e inestables:

promises being made and constantly broken,

promesas que se acababan rompendo,

their fighting, the weight of their secret --

liortas, o peso do seu segredo,

the weight of our secret kept so much so-called "normal" out of our lives.

o peso do noso segredo mantivo fóra das nosas vidas a chamada "normalidade".

Every time we'd be dropped off at our grandparent's house,

Cada vez que nos deixaban na casa dos avós

I'd be stuck on the thought that I was never going to see them again.

quedaba atrapada no pensamento de que nunca os volvería ver.

Every time we'd be left in a car, at a house, at a store,

Cada vez que nos deixaban nun coche, nunha casa, nunha tenda...

I'd cry.

choraba.

And every time I saw those El tracks --

E cada vez que vía esas vías de tren,

the same ones I take to work now to McPherson --

as mesmas que collo agora para ir traballar a McPherson,

from the backseat of a car,

dende a parte de atrás dun coche,

I'd be angry,

anoxábame,

because even kids know

porque ata os nenos saben

when their parents are trying to score drugs.

cando os seus pais intentan mercar droga.

There was so little I could do to control what was going on around me,

Podía facer tan pouco para controlar o que acontecía ao meu redor,

that that feeling of helplessness was overwhelming.

que esa sensación de impotencia era insoportable.

I struggled in school, struggled to read,

Esforzábame na escola, esforzábame para ler...

I was prone to anger and depression.

Tiña tendencia á ira e á depresión.

When I was 11 years old, I started smoking,

Cando tiña 11 anos comecei a fumar,

which shortly after led to my own experiences with drugs and alcohol.

o que pouco despois me levou a experimentar co alcohol e as drogas.

I convinced myself that my parents' past would be my future.

Convencinme a min mesma de que o pasado dos meus pais sería o meu futuro.

But eventually both of my parents entered recovery

Pero co tempo meus pais recuperáronse

and maintained recovery from opioid use.

e seguiron recuperándose do consumo de opioides.

And their strength and their commitment

A súa forza e compromiso

provided support and stability for me and my siblings,

déronnos apoio e estabilidade aos meus irmáns e a min,

and it was those personal experiences that brought me to McPherson.

e foron esas experiencias persoais as que me levaron a McPherson.

Choosing to be a librarian

Escoller ser bibliotecaria,

and choosing to be at McPherson

e escoller selo en McPherson

was me letting go of that feeling of helplessness

era eu mesma liberándome desa sensación de impotencia

and finding ways to be supportive to others.

e atopando maneiras de ser un apoio para outros.

And one way to provide support

E unha forma de axudar

was learning how to administer Narcan.

era aprender a administrar Narcan.

Public libraries respond to the needs of their communities,

As bibliotecas públicas responden ás necesidades das súas comunidades,

and not knowing how to utilize Narcan

e non saber como utilizar o Narcan

was a disservice to the needs of our community.

implicaba un mal servizo para as necesidades da nosa comunidade.

We were on the frontlines

Estabamos na fronte de batalla

and desperately needed access to this lifesaving tool.

e necesitabamos desesperadamente

acceder a esta ferramenta salvavidas.

So finally in late February of 2017,

Finalmente, a finais de febreiro de 2017,

after much advocating,

logo de moito insistir,

we finally received training from Prevention Point Philadelphia

recibimos un adestramento do "Punto de Prevención de Filadelfia"

and about a month of so later,

e contra un mes despois,

I utilized Narcan for the first time to save someone's life.

utilicei Narcan por primeira vez para salvar a vida dunha persoa.

It was after school again,

Foi despois de clase outra vez e Teddy entrou na biblioteca

and Teddy came into the library

and said someone was overdosing on a front bench.

dicindo que alguén tiña sobredose nun banco dos de diante.

Someone on staff called 911 again,

Un empregado chamou ao 911 de novo e eu collín o kit do Narcan.

and I grabbed the Narcan kit.

The woman was barely in her 20s and barely breathing.

A muller tería uns escasos 20 anos e apenas respiraba.

Her friend was frantically slapping her in the face

O seu amigo losqueáballe freneticamente a cara

in hopes of reviving her.

con esperanzas de revivila.

I administered the Narcan nasally,

Administreille Narcan por vía nasal,

and thankfully she came to.

e por fortuna volveu en si.

But before the ambulance arrived,

Pero antes de que chegase a ambulancia

she and her friend ran off.

ela e o seu amigo xa fuxiran.

And when I finally turned around,

E cando me xirei...

I saw the kids --

Vin aos nenos...

kids that come into the library on a daily basis,

Rapaces que veñen á biblioteca todos os días,

some that I have known for years --

algúns que coñecía dende hai anos...

standing on the steps of the building.

Parados nas escaleiras do edificio.

They saw everything.

Viran todo.

And they didn't seem like they were visibly upset or in shock,

E non parecía que estivesen moi afectados ou conmocionados,

and so I walked into the building,

polo que entrei no edificio,

right into our workroom, and I cried.

cara á sala de traballo... e chorei.

I cried partly from the shock of what just happened

Chorei en parte pola conmoción do que acontecera,

because I never thought I'd be saving anybody's life ever,

porque nunca pensei que salvaría a vida de ninguén...

but I mostly cried because of the kids.

pero chorei sobre todo polos cativos.

This is their normal.

É o normal para eles...

This is the community's normal.

É o normal para a comunidade...

This is a catastrophic normal,

É o catastroficamente normal,

and in that moment,

e nese momento,

I was forced to confront once again that this should never be normal,

vinme forzada a enfrontar unha vez máis que isto nunca debería ser o normal.

and as with my childhood,

Como aconteceu na miña infancia,

when you're in it, you just accept it.

cando te ves envolta niso, tan só acéptalo.

The opioid epidemic is not just about those living

A epidemia de opioides non afecta tan só a quen padece de trastornos polo consumo,

with opioid use disorder

because the reach of the epidemic goes well beyond those living with this

porque o alcance da epidemia transcende a quen vive con eles e ás familias.

and their families.

It impacts the entire community.

Afecta a toda a comunidade.

Kensington was a community in crisis before this

Kensington era unha comunidade en crise antes disto

for reasons that are endemic and intertwined,

por razóns endémicas e entrelazadas,

and anyone familiar with the neighborhood can think of why:

e calquera que coñeza ben o barrio sabe por que:

racial disparities,

diferenzas raciais,

failure of local and federal government to properly fund schools,

o fracaso dos gobernos federal e local ao investir de forma correcta nas escolas,

lack of economic opportunity.

falta de recursos económicos...

And what we're trying to do at McPherson

E o que estamos tentando facer en McPherson

is find ways to support this community out of crisis.

é atopar formas de sacar esta comunidade da crise.

And perhaps now, because of the epidemic,

E pode que agora, pola epidemia, a xente preste máis atención a Kensington.

more people are paying attention to Kensington.

But regardless of that,

Pero independentemente diso,

at McPherson,

en McPherson,

we will continue to do what we can with the resources we have

seguiremos facendo o que poidamos cos recursos que temos

and we will continue to provide whatever help we can

e seguiremos brindando a axuda que faga falla

in hopes of keeping our community safe and healthy

coa esperanza de manter a nosa comunidade sa e segura,

because public libraries have always been more than just books.

porque as bibliotecas públicas sempre foron máis que libros.

We are physical shelter,

Somos un albergue,

a classroom,

unha aula,

a safe haven,

un refuxio seguro,

a lunch room,

un comedor,

a resource hub

un centro de recursos,

and yes,

e si,

even a lifeline.

tamén un salvavidas.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)