Austin teen starts naloxone project to reduce fentanyl overdoses

AUSTIN (KXAN) – At just 16 years old, Peyton Eitel already owns his own lifeguarding business, which allows people with private pools to hire his lifeguards to make summer pool parties a little safer. 

“[We’re] CPR certified, first aid certified – a long list of things all through Red Cross,” Eitel said. 

But as the summer before entering his Junior year at West Lake High School wraps up, Eitel wants to do even more.

“I've enjoyed growing my own business, but I've always wanted to do something – give back to the community somehow,” he said. 

To give back, Eitel has started passing out free naloxone doses, the life-saving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. 

“There have been kids that have gone to Westlake Highschool – some of them were really good football players –  who later died because of opioid overdoses,” Eitel said. “It’s interesting too if they just had one little thing of [naloxone], it could have saved their life.”

Eitel said he has already begun passing out naloxone doses to Austin’s homeless and to people he goes to high school with. 

“I think almost all my friends will have Narcan on their car,” he said. “Lord knows, if they're at a party or something happens, they can quickly run to their car, grab Narcan and hopefully save somebody's life.”