Emergency crews in a small Oregon city had to respond to four fentanyl overdoses in just six hours Tuesday. By the next day, the entire county was in a state of emergency due to the spread of this deadly drug.
Officials in Bend, a city of about 100,000 people more than three hours south of Portland, were the first to answered KTVZ reports there was a fentanyl overdose around 8 a.m. at Second Street and Franklin Avenue.
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Just before 1 p.m., police found two more people overdosing on fentanyl in the parking lot of a Jimmy John’s sandwich shop.
Only 46 minutes had passed by the time police had to respond to the first overdose scene again to help others suffering from fentanyl poisoning as well.
All four survived with the help of Narcan by first responders, local news stations said.
As fentanyl use has increased in recent years, this life-saving overdose reversal drug is being carried by Bend police and many other law enforcement agencies across the country. Biden administration will be inaugurated in October 2023 prompted school We go all over the country to stock up on Narcan.
In this Sept. 12, 2019 file photo, a police officer holds a box of Narcan, which is used to treat opioid overdoses. (AP Photo/Keith Slakočić)
In a letter to school administrators, U.S. Secretary of Education Michael Cardona and Rahul Gupta, director of the National Drug Control Policy Office, said the number of drug overdose deaths in 2022 is “unacceptably high” at 107,000. Stated.
“At a time when fentanyl overdoses are becoming more prevalent, it is important to focus on measures to prevent youth drug use and ensure that every school has naloxone and that students and staff are prepared to use it. Yes,” the officials wrote. medicine.
Four overdoses in such a short period of time have pushed Bend Fire & Rescue’s resources to the brink, KTVZ reported, citing Chief EMT Drew Norris. Ta.
“For a typical overdose call, we respond with an ambulance and two engines,” Norris said.
In the wake of the Bend crisis on Tuesday, Deschutes County commissioners largely followed suit by voting to institute a 90-day countywide fentanyl emergency. declared in portland Gov. Tina Kotek (D-Oregon), January 30.
Oregon’s governor has declared a state of emergency for the city of Portland due to the growing fentanyl crisis. The state became the first in the nation to largely decriminalize drug use in 2020. pic.twitter.com/xf9ln34Hfw
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEEveningNews) February 2, 2024
“Fentanyl is everywhere and young people are dying.” Said Patty Adair, Deschutes County Commission Chair; “We need to solve this problem.”
“Now is the time for action. We are experiencing a crisis and we need our community to understand how dangerous this is,” said Deschutes County Commissioner Tony DeBone. “We need our communities to come together and take care of each other. This situation is getting worse by the day.”
Commissioner Phil Chan abstained from voting, saying the response strategy was “not fully developed.”
“We are definitely facing a crisis,” Chan said. “However, I am abstaining from voting today because I do not think the next steps have been fully developed. I would like to get a better understanding of what steps the county is prepared to take. .”
Although the order does not actually include any formal new policies or resources, Commissioners DeVaughn and Adair voted in favor of the declaration, citing increased awareness of the issue.
Both commissioners have been lobbying the state Legislature in recent days to make changes. Measures 110a drug decriminalization law that a majority of Oregonians want repealed after its despicable effects in the three years since it was enacted.
