Lander County government officials announced that they have released a community spotlight exposé on the opioid crisis. The exposé features friends and family members of deceased youth, Vincent Rosas, who passed away at the age of 19 from a fentanyl overdose.
The creation of this exposé was created to bring awareness to the rural communities in Central Nevada about how to prevent further loss of life from a fentanyl overdose. In it, Lander County Health Director, Dr. Troy Ross, provides commentary on how widespread the opioid crisis is, signs of a fentanyl overdose, and how to administer Narcan when needed.
Dr. Ross shared the following statement:
“Unfortunately, even though Lander is a very rural county, we do have direct access to that bigger outside world with Interstate 80 as the corridor. So all of the drug trafficking from the Southwest to the East Coast travels right through the middle of our Battle Mountain community.
The latest annual statistics for overdose deaths are about 110,000 nationwide, and about two-thirds of those are attributed to fentanyl. Fentanyl is the most potent opioid on the streets, with 100 times the effect of morphine and 50 times the effect of heroin.
During a fentanyl overdose, an individual isn’t able to interact normally with the people around them. There’s trouble breathing and staying awake, and an inability to communicate or ask for help.
Narcan is a medication that’s used to reverse the effects of opioids. It’s very effective and anybody can administer it. In Lander County, we have a training program for administering Narcan. We also have the ability to provide this medication to any resident in the community with the hope that lives can quickly be saved at the onset of a fentanyl overdose.
As this opioid crisis grows, our call to action does as well. Our fight to save lives can succeed by having conversations with youth about the dangers of fentanyl, knowing the warning signs, and equipping ourselves with the means to provide life-saving treatment quickly.
I’m grateful to the family and friends of Vincent Rosas for speaking up about their loss and sharing recommendations for how to assist our loved ones who are struggling with mental health issues. Their voices spoken, in loving memory of Vincent, will help others gain awareness of this tragic epidemic we must face together.”