FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – Fentanyl Overdoses are Rising in Fresno County.
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, 50 times more potent than heroin, and often deadly.
Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims said it was seen mostly on the East Coast but has now made its way to Fresno County.
On Monday, Sheriff Mims held a press conference with the Fresno Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice, Fresno County Department of Public Health and other medical experts and first responders to warn about the dangers of the drug.
On Monday, January 7, Fresno Police received a 911 call regarding three people who were unconscious at an apartment complex on the 900 block of Van Ness in Fresno.
Officers and EMS personal responded and arranged for the three men, who were in their 20s and 30s, to be transported to Community Regional Medical Center.
One person died and the other two overdosed.
Patil Armenian, Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, UCSF (below) said they had to administer two does of Naloxone to revive the two survivors.
Investigators later spoke with the survivors and learned they had taken a drug, which they all believed to be powdered cocaine.
However, toxicology showed it was pure fentanyl.
If not for a neighbor finding the people so quickly and dialing 911, all three men would have likely died, said Sheriff Mims.
429 people died from overdosing off Fentanyl in 2017, according to David Lucchini (below) at the Fresno County Health Department.
“Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, can be fatal even in small doses and is said to be 50 times more potent than heroin,” says Dr. Sara Goldgraben, Fresno County Public Health Officer.
Health officials also urge people who use opioids to take advantage of the following resources for help:
www.centralvalleyopioidsafety.org
https://www.co.fresno.ca.us/departments/behavioral-health/substance-use-disorder-services
Fresno Police Deputy Chief Pat Farmer (below) said they have 150 double does of Naloxone use for overdose, and are working to get doses in the hands of every officer.
Fresno Police investigators are now working to try and identify the source of the drugs.
Many times the deadly drug is brought in from Mexico and China.
They all want to warn the public of the dangers that come with buying and using illegal narcotics off the streets because people have no way of telling what they are actually getting.
If you have information that can help investigators with this case, please report it anonymously through Valley Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867 or www.valleycrimestoppers.org
You may be eligible for a cash reward.
Click to listen to the reports by KMJ’s Liz Kern:
