SCC fentanyl deaths are shooting through the roof; what's the County doing?

This May, fentanyl overdose deaths in the Santa Clara County were over 2x up; and anyone walking the streets of SF (or, who are we kidding, DTSJ near city hall) can observe the tragic fallout of unbridled substance abuse. CBS News parses through the data for us, and discusses the County's paltry reduction attempts of—hold your breath—giving free Narcan and anti-fentanyl PSAs.

As a fentanyl crisis grips the Bay Area, health officials in Santa Clara County reported the number of overdose deaths attributed to the drug more than doubled in the month of May.

According to county officials, there were 41 fentanyl-related overdose deaths in May, up from 17 the previous month. By comparison, the coroner's office recorded 161 fentanyl fatalities in all of 2022.

"Fentanyl continues to plague Santa Clara County. We all must continue to stay vigilant and ensure our most vulnerable community members are protected from deadly opioids circulating in our region," Supervising Deputy District Attorney Edward Liang said in a statement.

County Medical Examiner Dr. Michelle Jorden said most fentanyl deaths involve "fentanyl combined with other drugs, including methamphetamine."

The South Bay is not alone in seeing a surge in fentanyl deaths.

In San Francisco, a preliminary report from the Medical Examiner's office found at least 346 accidental overdose deaths in the city during the first five months of 2023, a spike of more than 40% compared to the same period last year. Last month, 74 fatal overdoses were reported in San Francisco, which would make it the worst May since since the city began releasing monthly overdose death data in 2020.

To help reduce the risk of overdoses, the County of Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department offers free naloxone (Narcan) kits and training, along with fentanyl test strips to anyone in the community....

The department has also launched a new public awareness campaign raising awareness of fentanyl and its deadly impacts, targeting teens and young adults age 14-29.

This article originally appeared in CBS News. Read the whole thing here.

Read more on SCC’s substance abuse monster-in-the-closet here.

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity

Opp Now enthusiastically welcomes smart, thoughtful, fair-minded, well-written comments from our readers. But be advised: we have zero interest in posting rants, ad hominems, poorly-argued screeds, transparently partisan yack, or the hateful name-calling often seen on other local websites. So if you've got a great idea that will add to the conversation, please send it in. If you're trolling or shilling for a candidate or initiative, forget it.