Riverside County’s Dr. Geoffrey Leung on raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl
BY DR. GEOFFREY LEUNG
I want to address an issue that is impacting portions of our community, taking the lives of those young and old, from every segment of the population regardless of race, gender or economic status. There is no vaccine or treatment for it, and it can strike someone down quickly and without warning.
It is not a virus or an illness that is spread from one person to another. It is a drug that can claim a person’s life, sometimes without their knowledge.
The issue is fentanyl, and it is devastating families throughout the nation, and here in Riverside County.
Our mission at Riverside University Health System (RUHS) is to improve the health and well-being of the people in our communities. That is why RUHS is using every resource in our system to educate the public on the dangers of fentanyl, track the drug’s movement in our communities and treat those with substance use disorders.
Public Health’s Epidemiology and RODA teams have dedicated themselves to gathering real-time data and telling the devastating story of opioid and fentanyl use in Riverside County.
Overall, overdose deaths in Riverside County have doubled in the five years between 2017 and 2021, mostly due to fentanyl. Fifty (50) percent of overdose deaths in 2021 involve fentanyl.
Fentanyl-involved overdose deaths have increased from 28 deaths in 2017 to 406 deaths in 2021.The median age of all overdose deaths is 46 years old.
These numbers tell a tragic story, but they are not the end of our involvement in this fight against fentanyl.
RUHS-Behavioral Health is on the frontlines of this battle. Its Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment division conducts community outreach to prevent drugs from falling into the hands of our children.
Substance use disorder is a complex condition that requires intervention – that is why Behavioral Health has established:
Thirteen (13) clinics across the county for those with substance use disorders.
Six programs for those with opioid-use disorders.
The new Arlington Recovery Center and Sobering Center assists those under the influence of drugs and helps them safely become sober before transitioning into rehabilitation.
These sites provide holistic care to patients by combining mental health treatment with Medication-Assisted Treatment to help patients detoxify from drugs and begin their recovery.
Behavioral Health has also partnered with RUHS-Medical Center to offer services at the hospital’s emergency department to help people begin their recovery journal immediately after surviving an overdose.
You will also hear a powerful story today about Behavioral Health’s integration with the Sheriff’s Department, and how CBAT teams are working to keep people with substance use disorders out of jails and prisons and get them the help that they need.
These are just a few of the many actions RUHS is taking to save lives and keep our communities healthy and well.
The RUHS family is very proud to be part of this multi-disciplinary effort in Riverside County that you see assembled here today—where we have all gathered for the single purpose of raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl.
For more info visit: www.FacesOfFentanyl.net.
