The Red Door Project

This Portland-Based Initiative Wants Every Bar or Restaurant to Have Narcan on Hand | Eater Portland

"Inspired by the overdose death of a friend, Ellen Wirshup— a Portland bar veteran in recovery—founded Project RED to make naloxone widely available and accessible in Portland and beyond. The initiative, launched with help from the Alano Club of Portland and partially funded through the Vitalogy Foundation, supplies the nasal-spray Narcan free to bars, restaurants, concert venues, and artist spaces and offers training to service workers and businesses on request. Focused on the food-and-beverage industry, artist communities, and entertainment venues, Project RED is currently working with roughly 15–20 local establishments (including Jojo) and accepts Narcan requests via its website; despite facing criticism that on-site overdose prevention materials somehow encourage drug use, Wirshup argues that overdoses can happen anywhere and that having Narcan on hand is far preferable to not knowing what to do." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden