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Data from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Coroner's Office shows that out of 116 overdose deaths in the county last year, 86 were linked to opioids.
To tackle the ongoing opioid crisis facing the community, the San Luis Obispo County Behavioral Health Department established the NaloxBox program, which provides free access to overdose-reversal kits. According to county Opioid Safety Coalition Coordinator Jenn Rhoads, naloxone is a life-saving medicine that works quickly to reverse an opioid overdose.
"We've done a lot of work over the past couple of years of getting naloxone out into the hands of community members, and this is just one piece of that puzzle," Rhoads said.
Naloxone specifically works on overdoses caused by opioids, which include prescription painkillers like fentanyl and Vicodin as well as some street drugs like heroin. Many illicit drugs are often laced with fentanyl, so Rhoads suggests that anyone partaking in illegal drugs should have naloxone on hand.
The department put NaloxBoxes in 23 places around the county, focusing on locations near community hot spots like local parks and libraries. Each box is equipped with a few doses of naloxone nasal spray, a CPR face shield, and instructions for use.
"If you are able to recognize that somebody is having an overdose, and you know about NaloxBoxes, and you're near one, you could go grab Narcan right out of there while you're calling 911 and help get that intervention started to start helping the person begin to breathe again," Rhoads said.
The boxes are meant primarily for emergency use. If someone needs naloxone for a nonemergency reason, Rhoads noted that the county has several community distribution sites that offer "nonjudgmental" access to the medicine as well as other resources like fentanyl test strips.
"We really want to make naloxone and test strips accessible to anybody who wants them in the community," she said. "NaloxBoxes are there for emergency use so that we are working toward reducing local barriers to substance use treatment."
Rhoads noted that anyone in California who calls 911 for an overdose cannot be arrested or charged for drug possession or being under the influence. She said that these protections are in place so that people aren't afraid to step in to help and call 911.
"It's just really important to call 911 and make sure that that we're providing the person with the most extensive medical care that we have available," Rhoads said.
According to Rhoads, each NaloxBox location has a few people who work in or near the building who will monitor the supplies and notify the county when the box needs to be replenished. Each box also has a QR code that community members can scan to report empty boxes.
In addition to maintaining these emergency resources, the county is focused on raising awareness and educating the community about opioid overdose prevention.
"We're always offering trainings, community presentations, school presentations, online resources," Rhoads said. "Whatever information we can get out to the public about this topic, the better."
For more information on SLO County's NaloxBox program and its locations, visit slocounty.ca.gov/departments/health-agency/behavioral-health.
* Hope Family Wines' recent Wave of Hope sales campaign raised $70,000 for Operation Surf, more than double what last year's campaign raised. Operation Surf is an Avila Beach-based nonprofit that provides surf therapy to injured U.S. military veterans, many of whom suffer from PTSD, according to Hope Family Wines. The wine company spans six brands in Paso Robles: Austin Hope, Treana, Quest, Austin, Libery School, and Troublemaker. During the two-month campaign, $2 from every retail bottle sold of Troublemaker and Liberty School wines went into the donation fund. For more information, visit hopefamilywines.com. Δ