Six overdoses requiring Naloxone resuscitation and hospitalization happened within 24 hours of April 17, according to Deschutes County Health Services.
The folks who overdosed weren’t intending to ingest opioids like heroin or fentanyl; they were doing cocaine and ketamine, officials say.
In a press release, the Health Services Department urges the public to generally assume that street drugs, like cocaine and ketamine, have been adulterated with opioids.
“People who do not regularly use opioids may be especially high risk of overdose because even a very small amount of an opioid can cause serious breathing problems, unconsciousness, or death,” officials said.
Friends for Life Deschutes, a local nonprofit in partnership with the County, offers a pragmatic approach that is starkly different from the “Just Say No” campaign of the Reagan era. Acknowledging that people will use drugs, Friends for Life Deschutes encourages them to have someone sober nearby and to keep Naloxone, a.k.a. Narcan, at the ready.
This “buddy system” approach maintains that someone sober be the “designated driver,” so to speak, who can tell of someone if showing overdose symptoms. Those include nodding off and not waking up, even when shaken firmly; skin turning blue, gray or purple; breathing very slowly or not at all; and looking ashen or feeling cold to the touch.
Narcan is FDA-approved and harmless, even if the person getting it hasn’t consumed opioids. The way it works is it binds to opioid receptors in the brain, restoring breathing in minutes. However, it only works in the body for 30 to 90 minutes, according the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Folks can pick up Narcan — in either nasal or injectable form — throughout Central Oregon. Deschutes County’s Harm Reduction Program has a rotating weekly schedule throughout Redmond, La Pine and Bend. Additionally, Narcan is available at Family Kitchen in Bend, the Redmond Syringe Exchange and the La Pine Syringe Exchange in southern Deschutes County.
Someone calling 911 regarding an overdose won’t be arrested because of Oregon’s Good Samaritan Law, enacted in 1985. The law protects both the caller and the person overdosing from prosecution for drug possession. Nor will the parties get charged with being in a place where drugs are used. Even if doing drugs or being at a drug party is a potential parole violation, or if someone has an outstanding state or local warrant, authorities will not make arrests. They’ll just ensure lifesaving help. (Note: The Good Samaritan Law doesn’t protect from outstanding federal warrants, warrants from other states outside Oregon, drug dealing, weapons possession, or DUII.)
Get Support: If you or someone you care about is struggling with drug or alcohol use, here are some resources that can help:
- Drug and Alcohol Helpline: (800) 923-4357) or Text: “Recovery Now” to 839863.
- Crisis Services: Contact the crisis line by dialing 988 or (541)322-7500 x9 or call (800) 875-7364 (toll free) or visit:
- Stabilization Center at 63311 NE Jamison Street, Bend, OR 97703 which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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