YCOE to Introduce Fentanyl Awareness Campaigns

After establishing a fentanyl task force in January, the Yuba County Office of Education will begin introducing fentanyl and opioid abuse awareness campaigns throughout the community by next week.

According to Community Engagement and Emergency Response Administrator Amy Nore, the Yuba County Fentanyl Task Force was developed as a result of a partnership with Yuba County Health and Human Services, which helped acquire a $100,000 grant to provide opioid awareness and education to the community. Awareness campaigns will appear through billboards, bus signage, and school presentations.

The Yuba County Fentanyl Task Force is composed of multiple agencies working in a united effort to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl abuse and how to distribute and administer naloxone, Nore said.

The Fentanyl Task Force includes several community partners including emergency responders, law enforcement, Sutter Yuba Behavioral Health, Yuba Sutter Healthcare Council, Yuba County Health and Human Services, and area school districts.

Commonly known as Narcan, naloxone is a life-saving medication that can rapidly reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. In April, the Fentanyl Task Force assembled 800 Narcan pouches to distribute to staff members in Yuba County schools.

The Yuba County Office of Education has contracted with the nonprofit organization Arrive Alive California to provide community outreach presentations about drug abuse in Yuba County schools, Nore said. Arrive Alive's community-focused programs are designed to educate students and families about the impact of substance abuse.

The group's fentanyl awareness program "One Pill Can Kill" was presented to students and families at Wheatland Union High School in November 2022 and during the school's 2023/24 freshman orientation in August.

According to the California Department of Public Health, California saw nearly 6,000 opioid-related deaths in 2021, the vast majority of which were due to fentanyl overdoses.

California saw a sharp increase in fentanyl-related deaths beginning in 2020 as trafficking routes from Mexico hardened and the unusually cheap drug began penetrating local drug markets, Bay Area News Group previously reported.

Traces of fentanyl have been found in counterfeit prescription drugs with OxyContin, Adderall, and Xanax being the most common types of pills replicated and sold on the streets. Fentanyl can be lethal even in small doses if the person taking it has no tolerance for the drug.

Yuba County saw 237 nonfatal drug overdoses in 2022, the Appeal previously reported. Of these cases, there have been 98 instances of administering multiple doses of Narcan. Yuba County also saw a total of 21 opioid-related deaths in 2022, 19 of which were related to fentanyl, CalMatters reported. In addition, Sutter County saw 19 opioid-related deaths, 16 of which were related to fentanyl.

Nore said that the Yuba County Office of Education and Arrive Alive are working closely with individual school sites to determine whether fentanyl awareness presentations will be delivered on an assembly or classroom level. Public outreach presentations will also be scheduled for parents and community members.

"No parent should have to bury their child because of fentanyl poisoning, but it's happening here and throughout our nation. I am very thankful for our local Fentanyl Task Force members, working together to raise awareness and save lives," Yuba County District Attorney Clint Curry said in an email. "I hope everyone who sees the ads, billboards, and posts will join us in the fight against fentanyl by sharing with others that 'one pill can kill.'"

For more information about fentanyl abuse and the Yuba County Fentanyl Awareness Task Force, visit www.onepillkills.yubacoe.org.

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