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Fentanyl Overdose Deaths Soar in LA County Over 5-Year Period
NBC Los Angeles ^ | 11/20

Posted on 11/29/2022 9:23:24 PM PST by nickcarraway

After fentanyl overdoses spiked in LA County over a five-year period the LA County DA's office and health department announced the creation of a working group aimed at addressing the crisis.

Overdose deaths attributed to the synthetic opioid fentanyl skyrocketed in Los Angeles County over a five-year period ending in 2021, with such fatalities increasing by 1,280%, according to report released Tuesday by the county Department of Public Health.

Meanwhile, the LA County District Attorney's Office and the health department, in a joint statement, announced Tuesday the creation of a working group that will address the fentanyl crisis "through prevention, education and enforcement.''

The health department report found that there were 109 deaths attributed to fentanyl overdose in the county in 2016 -- but that number ballooned to 1,504 in 2021. Between 2016 and 2020, visits to hospital emergency rooms due to fentanyl overdoses increased by 308%, going from 133 to 542.

While white residents accounted for the most overdose deaths last year, Black residents had the highest rate of deaths based on the population, at 30.6 per 100,000 residents. The rate of white residents dying from fentanyl overdoses was 22.5 per 100,000 residents, while Latino/a residents had a rate of 11.1 per 100,000 residents.

Fentanyl overdose deaths also occurred at a much higher rate in less affluent areas -- 38.4 per 100,000 residents -- than in more affluent areas, at 12.3 per 100,000 residents.

"Fentanyl overdoses are a significant and growing public health problem across the United States and in LAC, across sociodemographic groups and geographic areas,'' according to the report.

"The increases among youth and the widening inequities between under-resourced and more affluent groups underscore the need to target prevention efforts to those at highest risk to decrease fentanyl overdoses and advance health equity in LAC.''

In announcing his office's partnership with the health department on the working group to address the crisis, LA County DA George Gascón called the proliferation of fentanyl-related deaths ``one of the gravest challenges of our times.''

"We are bringing together the county's public health experts, education leaders, community advocates and law enforcement professionals to support and utilize evidence-based and effective approaches to stopping the toll fentanyl is taking,'' Gascón said in a statement.

"This multifaceted approach is necessary because if the failed 'War on Drugs' of the '90s has taught us one thing, it is that we cannot incarcerate our way out of a public health issue. Enforcement is not enough. Saving lives is the priority when addressing substance abuse and illicit drug use, as only the living have the opportunity to recover. This is a community-wide problem and will take collaboration among all of us to stem the tide of harm that is plaguing our neighborhoods.''

Joining the DA's Office and the health department in the working group will be the LAPD, LA County Office of Education, the LA Unified School District, the LA School Police Department, the LA County Police Chiefs Association, the Drug Policy Alliance and school districts throughout the county, the DA and health department said in their joint statement.

"As our data indicates, the tragedies resulting from fentanyl are indiscriminately impacting all populations regardless of age, race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status,'' county Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

"Fentanyl's reach is unfortunately broad, calling for a similarly broad approach to address the crisis. I am grateful for this opportunity to work in collaboration with people from many different sectors to address this important public health issue.''


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: California
KEYWORDS: california; ccp; china; fatality; fentanyl; gavinnewsom; losangeles

1 posted on 11/29/2022 9:23:24 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Another source reports a 1280% increase.


2 posted on 11/29/2022 9:25:25 PM PST by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)
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To: nickcarraway

Throughout recorded history, self indulged hedonism leads to death in many different ways.


3 posted on 11/29/2022 9:27:59 PM PST by allendale
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To: nickcarraway

“The increases among youth and the widening inequities between under-resourced and more affluent groups underscore the need to target prevention efforts to those at highest risk to decrease fentanyl overdoses and advance health equity in LAC.’’

They just couldn’t go without bringing their Marxist comprehension of everything to bear, could they?


4 posted on 11/29/2022 9:31:32 PM PST by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: nickcarraway

Not very many COVID deaths reported for LA’s “homeless community.”


5 posted on 11/29/2022 9:31:52 PM PST by Steely Tom ([Voter Fraud] == [Civil War])
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To: nickcarraway
Black residents had the highest rate of deaths based on the population

Like Covid, fentanyl sneaks around, lurking, and then preys upon black people.

6 posted on 11/29/2022 9:39:41 PM PST by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: Steely Tom

Who says there is no good news?


7 posted on 11/29/2022 9:39:53 PM PST by Wally_Kalbacken
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To: nickcarraway

The ambulance and police on the scene sometimes get overdoses from contact if they weren’t aware of the fentanyl.

Fentanyl: Emergency Responders at Risk | NIOSH - CDChttps://www.cdc.gov › niosh › topics › fentanyl › risk
Responders are likely to come into contact with a mixture of illicit drugs during routine job duties....

Thomson Man, EMS Personnel Hospitalized after Fentanyl ...https://gbi.georgia.gov › News
Sep 15, 2022 — 911 received a call for assistance about a medical emergency at Heritage Villas,

//harmreductionjournal.biomedcentral.com › articles
by RP Winograd · 2020 · — Training to reduce emergency responders’ perceived overdose risk from contact with fentanyl....


8 posted on 11/29/2022 9:44:44 PM PST by frank ballenger (You have summoned up a thundercloud. You're gonna hear from me. Anthem by Leonard Cohen)
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To: frank ballenger

I thought they were saying Fentanyl was mostly effecting white people.


9 posted on 11/29/2022 9:45:11 PM PST by nickcarraway
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To: nickcarraway

Not a crisis. They voted for it.


10 posted on 11/29/2022 9:45:50 PM PST by Libloather (Why do climate change hoax deniers live in mansions on the beach?)
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To: nickcarraway

They voted to keep the Fentanyl flowing, so what exactly is the problem?


11 posted on 11/29/2022 10:05:47 PM PST by ScottinVA (Slava Ukraini!)
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Related:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/4112530/posts


12 posted on 11/29/2022 11:56:46 PM PST by beaversmom
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To: Wally_Kalbacken
I don't see a problem. If they want to off themselves, let them. People that are looking to escape reality rarely contribute positively.
13 posted on 11/30/2022 4:57:47 AM PST by kickstart ("A gun is a tool. It is only as good or as bad as the man who uses it" . Alan Ladd in 'Shane' )
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To: nickcarraway

Notice they use 5 years as the benchmark period - to insure they can blame it on trump - who recognized the problem and tried to stop it while Biden opened the floodgates.


14 posted on 11/30/2022 5:29:38 AM PST by trebb (So many fools - so little time...)
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To: nickcarraway

This is the Dem’s way: genocide with plausible deniability.


15 posted on 11/30/2022 5:52:36 AM PST by Brilliant
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To: nickcarraway

It’s bad enough to be taking dangerous drugs that have been compounded by competent pharmaceutical companies in quality-controlled laboratories. To be taking some mixed up in bathtubs by illiterate drug cartel members is pure suicide.

That’s certainly what it has become.


16 posted on 11/30/2022 5:54:31 AM PST by norwaypinesavage (Capitalism is what happens when you leave people alone.)
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