Information provided by San Benito County. Lea este artículo en español aquí.
On Friday, August 30 at 3pm, the public is invited to an International Overdose Awareness Day event on the Watsonville City Plaza at 358 Main St. in Watsonville. Free naloxone will be distributed along with education on how simple it is to use. More than 25 agencies and clinics who support substance use prevention and substance use disorders will be on hand with resources and information, particularly for teens and parents, to help prevent opioid-related tragedies. The event will also honor and remember those who have been lost to overdose and poisoning.
Over 75 percent of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, there is a highly effective, life-saving medication available: naloxone (Narcan®). This nasal spray can reverse an opioid-related poisoning or overdose and save lives when administered quickly. The good news is that it is accessible to everyone in the community.
“Every day we see patients in the Emergency Department facing issues related to substance use,” says Emergency Medicine physician and event speaker Marissa Haberlach, DO. “Following the pandemic, we’ve seen increased stress and substance use. Unintentional overdoses of fentanyl and other opioids are also on the rise. If we can reach even one person at this event to reconsider their decisions or educate one person on how to help a friend during an overdose, we will have succeeded.”
Fentanyl is now being found in virtually all street drugs across our counties, state, and nation. As a result, it’s easy for teens and young adults to take opioids, often without them knowing it. At the August 30 event, there will be a wealth of information about how people can easily put themselves at risk of overdose. You can also learn about the latest drugs to hit the streets in the ever-changing landscape of substance use, such as “Tranq” or xylazine.
Attendees will hear powerful personal stories from those who work with people struggling with substance use and parents who have lost loved ones – in the hope that other families won’t endure the pain of an overdose or poisoning-related loss. In addition to Dr. Haberlach, speakers Learn about the risks of overdose and how you could save a life will include Danny Contreras, Health Services Manager at Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency and April Govea, Mobile Crisis Rehabilitation Specialist for San Benito County. There will be special activities for the community to remember those lost to overdose and celebrate survivors.
The event will take place from 3 – 5pm with a resource fair and community activities throughout the event, as well as presentations from 4 – 5pm. The event is co-sponsored by Watsonville Community Hospital, SafeRx Santa Cruz County, Central Coast Overdose Prevention and the San Benito County Opioid Task Force.
About Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital is a public, non-profit community healthcare provider; a 106-bed acute care facility serving Watsonville and the surrounding culturally diverse tri-county area, offering a wide range of quality medical and surgical services. Through its Substance Use Navigator program, it supports patients with substance use disorders through consultation, patient advocacy, community referrals and post-discharge support. With more than 610 employees and more than 300 physicians, the hospital strives to exceed patient expectations, deliver the highest quality care, and be a place of healing, caring and connection for patients and families in the community we call home.
About SafeRx Santa Cruz County
SafeRx Santa Cruz County (SafeRx), a program of the Health Improvement Partnership, is a local substance use safety coalition comprised of social service, government, behavioral health, and healthcare organizations dedicated to aligning and accelerating best practices for opioids and other substances, as well as current best practice guidelines to reduce death. SafeRx works towards a healthy, thriving, safe, and equitable Santa Cruz County through prevention, increased treatment access (particularly with proven-effective and promising medications for treating substance use), and evidence-based, harm reduction practices, to improve community well-being and to save lives.
About Central Coast Overdose Prevention
Central Coast Overdose Prevention (CCODP) is a non-profit initiative that focuses on addressing substance use realities through harm reduction strategies, treatment options, and community support services in the Tri-County area (Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties). Our goal is to empower individuals and communities to make informed choices about their health, promoting a safer and healthier community while reducing substance use harms. We collaborate with experts, community leaders, and volunteers to create and distribute evidence-based, culturally relevant educational materials. By doing so, we aim to decrease stigma, increase understanding, and disseminate life-saving harm reduction strategies.
San Benito County Opioid Task Force
The San Benito County Opioid Task Force is a local cross-collaborative opioid safety coalition committed to preventing opioid overdoses and deaths in San Benito County through partnership response and prevention efforts such as safe prescribing, safe medicine disposal, medication assisted treatment (MAT), naloxone training and distribution, and education/outreach.