On Friday, Aug. 30 from 3 to 5 p.m., the public is invited to an International Overdose Awareness Day event at Watsonville City Plaza, 358 Main St., Watsonville. Free naloxone to reverse fentanyl overdose will be distributed along with education on how simple this nasal spray is to use. More than 25 agencies and clinics supporting substance use prevention and treating substance use disorders will be on hand with resources and information, particularly for teens and parents, to help prevent opioid-related tragedies.
There will be special activities for the community to remember those lost to overdose and poisoning and celebrate survivors.
“Every day we see patients in the Emergency Department facing issues related to substance use,” says emergency medicine physician Marissa Haberlach, DO, one of the speakers. “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.”
Over 75% of drug overdose deaths involved an opioid, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Fentanyl is now being found in virtually all street drugs locally and across the nation. As a result, it’s easy for teens and young adults to take opioids without knowing it.
Attendees will also learn about deadly new drugs, such as “Tranq” or xylazine, a powerful veterinary tranquilizer found in the body of a 35-year-old woman in Santa Cruz who died last year.
Those who work with people struggling with substance use and parents who have lost loved ones will share their stories — in the hope that other families won’t face this pain. Speakers, starting at 4 p.m., 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.
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.