The following information is from the Ventura County Responds website which was created to respond to the opioid crisis. In Ventura County, more than 200 people die each year from opioid overdoses. Prescription painkiller abuse, fentanyl and fake pills, and rising opioid overdoses are part of a nationwide crisis. Visit the website here to learn the signs of overdose and...

This article is from Opioid Help, one of our community partners. From their website, “The world is facing an Opioid Epidemic that is unlike anything seen before. For this reason, Opioid Help has sought to be an extensive resource and community for information and support for people who have been affected by the prevalence of Opioids since 2019.” Visit their website and sign up for...

The first National Fentanyl Awareness Day was May 10, 2022, and was recognized by organizations across the U.S. including the DEA. It was created to address our national public health crisis of deaths and overdoses due to fentanyl use. People, especially young people, are ingesting illegally manufactured fentanyl without knowing it and dying at alarming rates as a result.

The statistics...

Two decades ago, a new generation of supposedly “safer and less addictive” painkillers triggered an epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. Since then, opioid overdoses have killed over 400,000 Americans. Now, more than half of opioid deaths are caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Beyond the death toll, at least 2 million Americans have become addicted.

U.S. deaths from...

1 in 5 Ventura County teens have abused prescription drugs. 

Over 50% get them from friends and family. 

9% of 9th graders and 14% of 11th graders in Ventura County say they’ve used prescription medications to get high.

The countywide report of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) indicates a hopeful decline in lifetime misuse of prescription drugs. However, prevention of...

This article was written with information taken from the International Overdose Awareness Day website and Ventura County Responds.

In honor of International Overdose Awareness Day on August 31st, here’s some information and resources about the signs and statistics of overdose.

Drug overdose is the leading cause of unintentional injury death in the United States, causing more deaths than...

The following information is from the Fentanyl Ventura County website.

We are witnessing a nationwide epidemic of fentanyl deaths. Just a few grains of fentanyl are enough to kill you, or your child.

What is Fentanyl?

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid painkiller, up to 100 times more powerful than morphine, and can easily be fatal except when administered by a doctor or via...