BALTIMORE — Maryland is seeing a decline in fatal overdoses. New data from the state shows a significant drop in Opioid deaths in 2024. It's the first time since 2015 that the number fell below the 2,000 mark. A Baltimore nonprofit is providing life-saving services when minutes matter between life and death.
CPR, Stop the Bleed training, overdose prevention – these are just some of the services that We Responders Inc. offers. They’re resources that founder Nicole Bryant wishes there were more of, especially after she lost family members of her own.
"In 2020, I took some heavy hits. I lost both of my nephews—one to natural causes and one to a Fentanyl overdose,” said Nicole Bryant, Founder of We Responders Inc.
Her nephew, Tyler, was just one year old.
"Breathing in the fumes, he OD'd from Fentanyl. And to have him lose his life before it started. At that point, I realized that a lot of us didn’t know CPR. We didn’t know the skills we needed to save each other if these emergencies happened,” said Bryant.
That’s why Bryant founded the nonprofit in 2022.
"Initially, I got certified just for my family. Once I got certified and started talking to people that I knew, they said, ‘Well, hey, come train this group of people, come train this group of people.’ Then I realized that there was a need in our city,” said Bryant.
Its help where every second counts.
"I've trained over 3,000 individuals. We don’t have to wait that 10 to 15-minute gap for the paramedics to arrive. We can respond,” said Bryant.
But in 2024, time stopped and grief struck again. This time, it was Bryant’s father.
"He was everything. If I removed his addiction, he was the perfect person. While I knew he was battling addiction, I never really wanted that to be the outcome,” said Bryant.
A day before his birthday, he died of a Fentanyl overdose.
"That pain gave me some type of fire. I think it's to keep me going so I don’t soak in it. But losing him, that was my best friend. That was like my ace, boom. We did life together,” said Bryant.
She took hold of that pain and created new programs, including mental health resources.
"I looked at other ways to help kids that were once me, that still are me, you know? He was introduced to drugs at a young age. He lost his mom, and at the time, mental health wasn’t there. He didn’t have the support he needed. And I remember him explaining to me that he did it for pain, but that opened up another level that he could never get off his back. He did it to soothe something and it took over his whole life. And unfortunately, he didn’t beat the odds,” said Bryant.
Data from the Maryland Department of Health shows there were 1,553 fatal overdoses reported last year, which is a 38 percent decrease from 2023. However, disparities persist in minority communities, specifically for black men over 55 years old and Hispanic residents under 25 years old.
"Something had to be done— but I had to keep their name alive some way. So even with my dad, it's like every class I start, every class I teach, every event I do, they're going to live through that memory because that's my why,” said Bryant.
Using a lot of her own money, Bryant built this program from the ground up, applying for grants and recruiting volunteers eager to mentor and train.
"80 percent of the nonprofit’s partners are children of addicts. And everybody's parents didn’t make it out, and some did. These kids need to hear our stories and they need to know don't let that break you because it didn't break us,” said Bryant.
They focus on underserved communities, where Bryant says access to emergency response training is limited.
"I did an event at CareFirst, and I had a partner who said, 'If I knew this, I could have saved my son.' I had worked with kids who cried in the middle of a training. I was down at the University of Baltimore, and a little boy said, 'If I'd have known this two weeks ago, I'd have saved my cousin,” said Bryant.
Bryant gets emotional thinking about what her dad would say about the work she’s doing in Baltimore.
“His fight was for my purpose.” said Bryant.
On Saturday, they're holding their Fight Against Opioids Youth Summit. They're partnering with Rich-Restoring Inner City Hope (R.I.C.H.), a nonprofit by the owners of Rich Juice Bar. There will be panel discussions, on-site training and more.
