Combating fentanyl overdoses in South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado and Placer counties

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - This is the second of a two-part story on the current fentanyl epidemic, and what is being done in the area to combat fentanyl and illegal opioids and prevent deaths.

Fentanyl is being sold throughout the county in record amounts. In the previous story, a highlight was put on the 77 overdose deaths in El Dorado County since 2021, 35 of those had fentanyl present, and that percentage is increasing annually. The amount of fentanyl found in illegal opioids is also increasing across the state and the country. In California in 2021, there were 5,722 fentanyl overdose deaths.

In El Dorado County, the Coalition for Overdose Prevention and Education (COPE), a community-wide collaborative of public and private partners, is working together to address the overdose epidemic n the county. COPE is creating a Fighting Fentanylin EDC campaign to address the national, state-wide, and local increases in fentanyl substance use and fentanyl-related overdoses. Their website provides the EDC community with comprehensive and easily-accessible information regarding fentanyl, substance use disorders, treatment, and how to respond when someone overdoses. They can be found here https://www.eldoradocope.org/.

Placer County is at the forefront of opioid education with its 1 Pill Can Kill campaign. Fentanyl pills are not laced prescription pills – fentanyl is being pressed into fake pills known as “fentapills” resulting in a higher rate of lethal poisonings amongst one-time users. When you purchase prescription pills like Xanax, Percocet, and Oxycodone from somewhere other than a pharmacy, you have to assume that the pill is fake and very possibly deadly.

Placer teen Zach Didier was a 17-year-old student at Whitney High School in Rocklin. Star athlete, an exceptional student, a friend to everyone, and above all, a loving son. He purchased what he thought was a Percocet from a dealer on Snapchat. Zach Didier died from fentanyl poisoning with just one pill, one his first buy. Zach's parents presented at a recent Barton Health Wellness Webinar:

A lethal dose of fentanyl is just 2 milligrams (see picture insert above).

In South Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK) is a group of volunteers and a partnership of agencies created to prevent youth access to illegal drugs.

Both COPE and TASK are coordinating the distribution of Naloxone, a medication used to reverse or reduce the effects of opioids. Narcan is one of the manufacturers of Naloxone, as well as Kloxxado.

In South Lake Tahoe, Narcan can be found in all police cars, on fire trucks, on engines, and in ambulances. The South Lake Tahoe Library and Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless also have doses of the Narcan nasal spray. Barton Health's emergency room and community health center both carry it. The Lake Tahoe Unified School District is updating its safety plan in January and doses of Narcan at all schools will be proposed though two schools already have some. On college freshmen lists of what to bring to school, dose(s) of Naloxone are suggested, maybe not for that student but they will be put in situations where they may witness an overdose.

Education and awareness are key to putting a stop to the epidemic of overdoses of any opioid, especially those with fentanyl. South Lake Tahoe parents can sign up for a TASK texting network where important information will be shared. Text "TASK" to 888777 to register. For more information on TASK, visit https://www.tahoesafekids.com/.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office will be making a presentation to the county's commissioners in January on the current drug situation in Douglas County, including fentanyl. In October, several deputies were exposed to fentanyl during an undercover drug operation.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) also has a One Pill Can Kill campaign as well (see here for some valuable information).

There are inexpensive test strips available to test pills for opioids. Even though they can give results in five minutes, the pill used for testing may not have the same results as a second pill in a person's possession, as the destruction of a pill can have unnecessary exposure.