The fentanyl crisis has prompted the city of Henderson to take on an aggressive outreach campaign to combat the deadly effects of the illicit drug.
There has been a 923% increase in fentanyl deaths in Clark County between 2015 and 2021, according to the Nevada Electronic Death Registry.
The city of Henderson produced several videos, which will be played on various social media platforms, mostly aimed at middle school kids and teenagers.
Mayor Michelle Romero said the city is making Narcan available in many locations, including in the city’s first aid kits.
The city is also reaching out to schools and community centers with different campaigns, like the Hope Squad, a peer-based suicide prevention program at nine Henderson middle and high schools, and the Invo-Impact Program, a behavioral health program aimed at two high-risk schools helping students with behavioral issues.
Henderson is also creating a mobile crisis intervention team, which will be staffed by two mental health clinicians and two police officers, funded by a Department of Justice grant.
“The purpose of this team is to deescalate calls of substance abuse, refer people to appropriate treatment, reduce non-emergency calls and improve officer-resident safety through de-escalation and deflect unnecessary arrests and hospitalizations," said Romero.
You can find more information at RiskItAllWithFentanyl.com.
AG announces opioid settlement details
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford announced the “One Nevada Agreement” for the fair allocation of opioid settlement funds, an intrastate allocation agreement with all counties and “litigating cities" in the state.
While Nevada will not be joining the recently announced multistate settlements with Johnson & Johnson’s U.S.-based Janssen Pharmaceutical companies, or numerous opioids distributors, Ford said this agreement provides a framework for any potential settlements with opioid companies in the future.
“Nevada continues to be one of the hardest-hit states by the opioid crisis and the compensation for Nevadans must be commensurate to the harm” it has caused, he said.
Sen. Rosen announces fentanyl bill
Senator Jacky Rosen co-sponsored the bipartisan Fentanyl Eradication and Narcotics Deterrence (FEND) Off Fentanyl Act to help combat fentanyl trafficking.
The act would allow the U.S. to sanction drug cartels from Mexico and chemical suppliers in China. It would also crack down on fentanyl-related money laundering and declare fentanyl trafficking a national emergency, freeing up additional federal resources to combat the fentanyl drug crisis in the country.
