Miami confronts two battles: the opioid epidemic and coronavirus

“We’re out of masks,” said Emelina Martinez, as she adjusted the green mask on her face with a gloved hand while driving through Overtown.

“We’ve had these ... since we pretty much opened. In case of emergency, right? And here we are,” she chuckled.

“Here’s the emergency.”

As Community Outreach Manager for IDEA Exchange, the first needle exchange program in Florida, Martinez is accustomed to handing out clean needles and naloxone, a drug that counters opioid overdoses, to program participants in Miami.

Usually, hugs are also exchanged. “It’s a human moment for the both of us,” she said.

But on a recent Friday, as COVID-19 spread throughout South Florida, Martinez took precautions by wearing gloves, her one assigned mask, and social distancing with her participants, using a fist-pump as a greeting.

“Right now we’re battling two crises at one time,” said Martinez. ”We’re battling the opioid crisis, which is something we’ve done for years now, and now we’re battling the new crisis, which is the COVID-19 coronavirus.”

As an asthma patient, Martinez acknowledged that she is at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

Still, she said, “It’s important to keep doing this because the need doesn’t stop.”

At the end of her morning round, Martinez readjusted her green mask, the one she’ll air out in the sun in an attempt to kill any potential bacteria and wear again the next day.

“When this is done,” said Martinez, “I’m definitely going to collect on all of my hugs.”

This story was originally published April 2, 2020 at 1:09 PM.