Announcing the August 2019 Indian Country Opioid Response Monthly Newsletter!
August, 2019
Fentanyl: What is it? Why does it matter?
The increasing presence of Fentanyl across Indian Country and the US in recent years has led to a push for awareness and education. While it has been around since the 1960's, a majority of the population is only now becoming familiar with what it is and the sweeping, deadly impact it has had among PWUD (people who use drugs).
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 50 to 100 times more potent that morphine or heroin. Where it has historically been used in healthcare for pain management, more recently there has been a surge in the availability and distribution of illegally manufactured Fentanyl. In its illegal form, it is commonly mixed with other illegal drugs, (i.e. heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, etc.), which increases its potency and exponentially raises the risk of overdose for people who use drugs (PWUD).
To learn more about Fentanyl, including how to recognize and respond to a suspected overdose, click the above image above or visit the
National Institute on Drug Abusewebsite to learn more.
When overdose is suspected from an opioid like Fentanyl, the most effective form of intervention is Naloxone, (also known as NARCAN). Not only will Naloxone reverse an overdose, but it will also buy time until first responders are able to make it to the scene. To learn about how Fentanyl and other opioids effect the body, as well as how to recognize and respond to an overdose, check out the National Institute on Drug Abuse's video "How Naloxone Saves Lives In Opioid Overdose".
Join the Substance Use Disorder ECHO clinic, held the 1st & 3rd Thursday of every month at 11am PST. The 1 hour clinics include the opportunity to present cases, receive recommendations & become part of a learning community. Visit the teleECHO Clinicwebsite to learn more.
To submit an article for the June newsletter or share upcoming events & educational opportunities, email opioidnewsletter@npaihb.orgwith the subject line "Opioid Response Newsletter" by August 15th.