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Posted on 12/09/2021 4:24:51 PM PST by nickcarraway
Santa Cruz County is seeing a spike in fentanyl overdoses. Health officials say they are up 66% compared to last year.
It's been an alarming surge that is impacting the entire community.
The reasons behind those increases can be everything from depression during this pandemic, to fentanyl becoming more available to the community.
"I had addictions. I was doing all of the same stuff that you hear about."
This 55-year-old man didn't want us to use his real name, so we'll call him Bill.
Six years after his mother died, he turned to heroin.
While living homeless he encountered people using all types of illicit drugs including, fentanyl.
Concerned for his health, Bill went to the Homeless Persons Health Project in Santa Cruz County for help.
"I see it everywhere ... everywhere that's all they're pushing is the fentanyl now, you know. They can get it so much cheaper," Bill said.
Data from the Health Services Agency shows overdoses have been going up since 2018.
So far this year, the county has seen a 66% increase compared to last year.
That's 537 people who have overdosed and had to be treated with the overdose-reversing medication Narcan.
Many of them didn't respond to Narcan.
A recent coroner’s report shows 29 people died from fentanyl overdoes from January-September of this year.
"In particular the Summer of 2021 in Santa Cruz is where we saw the biggest spike and so I think that we're seeing here is a constellation of things. I think the stress of the pandemic itself probably leading more people to use drugs. There may be mental health issues associated," said Dr. David Ghilarducci, EMS medical director.
The manager of the Health Center at the Homeless Person Health Project, Joey Crottogini, said they've certainly treated their share of overdose cases but it's not limited to the unhoused.
"What we’ve tried to do at the Health Services Agency is actually expand medicated assisted treatment. So, by providing outreach street medicine and narrow distribution to people experiencing homelessness and house people who are struggling to get treatment," Crottogini said.
"We look at demographics and location obviously most of it is in the city of Santa Cruz. Most of it seems to happen along the Central Core of Santa Cruz," Ghilarducci said.
For Bill, he's getting his life back together after he witnessed fentanyl's impact.
"I lost a lot of friends in just the last four months total but yeah — to what kind of drug? Fentanyl," Bill said.
The health department is working with a national program called, "OD maps," where they can get real-time data when overdose spikes happen.
If they notice a trend, they can use a tool called, "Bad Batch" to alert people through social media and other means.
You just can’t get good heroin and meth anymore. This darn fentanyl stuff is ruining the country.
Maybe cuz the border is wide open?
Democrats sold out to the drug cartels.
So utterly tragic on so many levels.
The articles never go into detail on the fact that fentanyl is coming from China and streaming like a fire hose from the Mexican border. I wonder why they never include this information. /s
I’m going with, “There but for the grace of God go I.” on this one.
Props to the guy in the story who is working his way out of it, I hope many more can do the same. Such a waste of humanity.
Need the vax booster. wheres fauchi.
” ... so we’ll call him Bill. “
so Why not call him Guillermo ?
Also, the FALSE narrative that “prescription opioids are killing people” is a joke. ILLEGAL OPIOIDS CONTAINING FENTANYL kill FAR MORE people than LEGALLY PRESCRIBED OPIOIDS.
Certainly....illegal opioids cause more death than guns...wonder why hollywood stars aren’t goin’ after the opoiods and pushers and users of illegal opioids....uh...Maybe cause they are the pushers and users...
There are agencies within the government that actively support and profit from the cartels.
Don’t get me started on that deliberate deception...
I live in the hills above Santa Cruz. Whatever it takes to thin out the problem is OK with me. It started with UCSC.
Just think of it as evolution in action.
I don’t know....maybe control the inflow of Chinese fentanyl from Mexico?
Like, with a wall or something?
Or maybe mounted patrols?
FACT: If the US gov wanted to stop drug trafficking, there would be no drug trafficking. The fentanyl and all the other extremely dangerous, adulterated drugs are in the US because the US gov wants it that way.
With lots of Vichy Republican company, no doubt.
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About 6 months ago I had just signed a fairly large business deal / venture. To celebrate the guy I signed the deal with went to Las Vegas, bought some cocaine, it was spiked with fentenyl, and he died of an OD.
I was not aware of his drug use while talking business.
That just proves my point. The Chinese infect our good clean meth and cocaine with that poison. It’s not cricket (as the English would say).
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