The distribution of fentanyl has led to a rise in overdose deaths across the nation. In Butte County, drug overdose deaths have increased by more than 150% in the last five years. Most of these deaths involved fentanyl or methamphetamine, or a combination.
In Oroville, one group is working to educate the public about the dangers of the drug, and provide life-saving medicine to the community. NSPR’s Alec Stutson spoke with Breauna Hodnett, an organizer with the Oroville Southside Community Improvement Association, about their services.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
On the services offered by the association
The Oroville Southside Community Improvement Association was founded back in 2009. We do a lot of food distribution services — we would have hundreds and hundreds of cars lined up, where folks are able to fill up their trunk with meats and produce and veggies, everything that they need to sustain their family. They know that they can come here to this community center that's located in the heart of south Oroville, and get those needs met.
Within our Family Resource Center we also have a food pantry. So at any given time, a person can walk into our facility and be able to get access to food on a daily basis. We also carry concrete supports like diapers and formula, and we have hygiene products. When it comes to a person's immediate needs, regardless of what their situation is at home or on the streets, we have what it is that they need.
On the “Operation Live On” program
Our CEO was really adamant about changing the face when it comes to how folks are viewing fentanyl and those who it's affecting. In reality, these are young kids. These are students with college careers. So who we're talking about is not our typical drug user. And I think what people really need to understand is that it doesn't take much.
So education and awareness were really our first steps. We started it off with a town hall meeting to have an open and honest conversation. So we had that event, it was a really awesome turnout, and we were like “We cannot stop here.”
So our second event, we had it right here in our community. But this time, we canvassed the south Oroville area, and went door to door educating folks on what Narcan is, which is a life saving measure. You never know where you're going to be or if there's going to be someone around you that needs this life saving medication. So we were able to distribute over 1,000 Narcan kits to our community.
On the association’s future plans
From the help of so many amazing partners in Oroville and Chico, we were able to get our hands on the first few batches [of Narcan]. We always make sure that we have some on hand in our facility. But we just submitted our paperwork to become a distribution center. I would say in the first couple of weeks of January, we should have as much Narcan on hand as anyone would need. We will definitely be updating folks with more information about Operation Live On. Our next one will be happening in Chico, so we're really excited to connect with that community and get as many north county folks involved as humanly possible.
