Interview With Assistant Sheriff Victor Fazio
COAST has enjoyed the collaboration of COAST Leads from agencies within Ventura County, including Public Health, Emergency Medical Services, Medical Examiner’s Office, Health Care Agency and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.
Tell us about your background. How long you’ve been with VCSO and what your role is?
I started my career with the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office in 1994. I worked a variety of assignments throughout the agency spending a large portion of my career investigating narcotics related offenses. During my 16 years assigned to the narcotics division, I commanded two multi-agency task forces. One task force focused on the proliferation of pharmaceutical drugs and the surge of heroin and opioid related overdose deaths. The other task force was dedicated to identifying and neutralizing drug trafficking organizations at the highest level.
I was proud to also serve the City of Moorpark – which contracts law enforcement services with the Sheriff’s Office – as Chief of Police for nearly four years from 2019-2023. In January of 2023, Sheriff Fryhoff appointed me as one of his four Assistant Sheriffs. I have the honor of leading the Special Services Division which includes Major Crimes, Narcotics, Bomb and Arson Unit, Criminal Intelligence, Crime Analysis, Crime Lab, Air Unit, Crime Scenes Investigation Unit, SWAT, Tactical Negotiations Unit, Technical Services Unit, and Sheriff’s Systems Bureau which is responsible for hardware, software, and new technology.
What can you tell us about FOCUS?
The Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units (VC FOCUS) is the rebranding of the Ventura County Interagency Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit. The mission of VC FOCUS is to actively address overdoses and fentanyl related crimes in Ventura County through enforcement, prevention, education, and partnerships. Investigations by VC FOCUS will create accountability, education supports prevention, and public partnerships assist in fostering increased awareness of this epidemic. VC FOCUS is comprised of two units of law enforcement representation from the east and west side of Ventura County.
VC FOCUS will be relentless in making communities safe from fentanyl and other opioids. Through partnerships with COAST, Federal, State, and Local Law enforcement, the Justice System and the Community, VC FOCUS will strive to eliminate the root cause to addiction and deaths caused by illicit opioids.
What do you think readers should know about the opioid crisis in Ventura County currently?
Without bold action, the opioid crisis isn’t going anywhere soon. Unless we work together, we will never solve the problems related to opioid misuse and abuse. We have a seemingly endless supply of fentanyl coming from Mexico and sourced by China. Unfortunately, there is a long-standing appetite for opioids in our county which continues to poison our residents. We must be united in education and prevention efforts, understand the importance of harm reduction, and maintain a desire to hold drug dealers accountable. This isn’t solely a law enforcement problem, a behavioral health issue, or a public health responsibility, it is an all of us problem that needs all of us to solve it.
Tell us one thing about you that helps us get to know you better?
I enjoy teaching and have instructed well over 10,000 law enforcement officers, health care providers, and community members throughout the nation on various law enforcement related topics. Additionally, I am an Adjunct Criminal Justice Professor for the University of Southern California as well as Arizona State University in both graduate and undergraduate programs. I also like learning, researching, and writing. I have a bachelor’s degree from UCLA in political science, a master’s degree from ASU in criminal justice, and a doctorate in education from USC where my research was focused on reducing harms caused by opioids through physician education.
Thank you, Victor, for sharing your valuable experience with us!
Event: Fentanyl Strategies for Schools – Nov 1
DATE: November 1, 2022
TIME: 2:30pm – 4:00pm
LOCATION:
1911 Williams Dr., Oxnard, CA 93036
Training Room, Ground Floor
(Parking will be available rear of building adjacent to Probation Offices.)
This training will provide foundational knowledge and tools to draft policy that will enable access to naloxone for Ventura County school districts and sites. Subject matter experts will engage in discussion regarding district protocols and next steps to train staff in recognizing and responding to the signs of an opioid-related overdose.
This is a no-cost, in-person event. Space is limited.
To RSVP, please contact Cari Kawell at 805-981-6831 or email cari.kawell@ventura.org.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- District Superintendents
- Site Administrators
- School Nurses
- Site/Local Teams of Educator
FEATURED PANELISTS
Oxnard Union High School District
Lisa is a school nurse for Oxnard Union High School District. She has 13 years of local experience working in Ventura County schools in addition to raising and graduating five children in Conejo Valley. She is the Special Education Chair of the Central Coast section of the California School Nurse Organization and was recognized by her peers for excellence in school nursing in 2022.
Program Manager, Give an Hour
Ashley Nettles specializes in Substance Use Prevention and program services with an expertise in the Opioid crisis. Providing innovative strategies to reach high risk community members and their families through quality education and training. Ashley’s passion for her work is fueled by her personal family experience. Her first-hand experience with how addiction affected her family gives her the ability to champion change for families and communities that are feeling the devastating effects of our nation's opioid crisis.
This is a no-cost, in-person event. Space is limited.
To RSVP, please contact Cari Kawell at 805-981-6831 or email cari.kawell@ventura.org.
See and download the event flyer.
Prescribers Care Discussion Series – September 21, 2022
SEPTEMBER 21, 2022
PERSON-CENTERED STRATEGIES TO REDUCE
OPIOID OVERDOSE
5:30–7:30 PM
Sterling Hills Golf Club, Camarillo
Join the discussion on how as leaders in health care we can do our part in reversing the current opioid overdose death trend in our community. Learn more about the latest advances in opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, how new approaches to integrated care and cutting-edge harm reduction strategies
can reduce overdoses in our community. Discuss how to educate patients on what they can do to prevent opioid misuse.
REGISTER HERE
PRESENTED BY
- Loretta L. Denering, DrPH, MS; Assistant Director, Ventura County Behavioral Health
- Rachel McDuffee, PsyD; Regional Director Aegis Treatment Centers
- Tipu V. Khan, MD, FAAFP, FASAM; Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director, VCMC
For more information: Ashley.Nettles@ventura.org
Prescribers are key to creating change in our community.
Thanks to exceptional local collaboration, Ventura County has seen a decrease in opioid prescribing in recent years – a 24% reduction between 2017 and 2020 – as providers have employed safe prescribing practices and increased use of non-narcotic pain management strategies.
Unfortunately, overdose deaths continue to climb, largely due to illegal fentanyl, which has replaced much of the local heroin use and is contributing to the rising number of overdose emergencies. As a concerned local provider, we invite you to join the Prescriber Discussion Series:
- Hear from local experts and discuss with peers the latest trends and best practices.
- Get provider-focused resources to reduce misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD).
- Learn the new State guidelines and latest tools for patient care and provider coordination.
Connecting because we care. For our patients and for our community.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS
- May 11, 2022 • 5:30–7:30 PM
Latest Trends in Overdose: What Prescribers Need to Know About Illicit Fentanyl
- June 8, 2022 • 5:30–7:30PM
Evidence-based Safe Prescribing
- August 31, 2022 • 5:30–7:30PM
Deprescribing is Good Prescribing
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER:
Prescribers Care Discussion Series – August 31, 2022
August 31, 2022
DEPRESCRIBING IS GOOD PRESCRIBING
5:30–7:30 PM
Sterling Hills Golf Club, Camarillo
Just as safe prescribing is an integral and effective strategy to prevent opioid use disorder, safe deprescribing is also key. In this workshop, we’ll discuss when, and how to safely and effectively taper patients from opioid usage. Is the deprescribing plan not working? Let’s talk about how to talk with patients about opioid use disorder and effective referrals to substance use treatment.
REGISTER HERE
PRESENTED BY
- Tipu V. Khan, MD, FAAFP, FASAM; Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director, VCMC
- Kyle Stephens, DO, Family Medicine Specialist, Primary Care
- George C. Chang Chien, DO, Director of Pain Management, Ventura County Medical Center
For more information: Ashley.Nettles@ventura.org
Prescribers are key to creating change in our community.
Thanks to exceptional local collaboration, Ventura County has seen a decrease in opioid prescribing in recent years – a 24% reduction between 2017 and 2020 – as providers have employed safe prescribing practices and increased use of non-narcotic pain management strategies.
Unfortunately, overdose deaths continue to climb, largely due to illegal fentanyl, which has replaced much of the local heroin use and is contributing to the rising number of overdose emergencies. As a concerned local provider, we invite you to join the Prescriber Discussion Series:
- Hear from local experts and discuss with peers the latest trends and best practices.
- Get provider-focused resources to reduce misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD).
- Learn the new State guidelines and latest tools for patient care and provider coordination.
Connecting because we care. For our patients and for our community.
UPCOMING DISCUSSIONS IN THE SERIES
- September 21, 2022 • 5:30-7:30pm
Person-Centered Strategies to Reduce Opioid Overdose
PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS
- May 11, 2022 • 5:30–7:30 PM
Latest Trends in Overdose: What Prescribers Need to Know About Illicit Fentanyl
- June 8, 2022 • 5:30–7:30PM
Evidence-based Safe Prescribing
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER:
Prescribers Care Discussion Series – June 8, 2022
June 8, 2022
EVIDENCE-BASED SAFE PRESCRIBING
5:30–7:30 PM
Sterling Hills Golf Club, Camarillo
Join us for a review of local opioid prescribing trends. We’ll discuss how safe prescribing and use of CURES can prevent or reduce opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) in our patients. Hear from Tipu Khan MD, an author of the newest California Guidelines for Safe Opioid Prescribing, on how to utilize the newest guidelines in our practices. Learn how other local Primary Care and Pain Management Specialist use effective safe prescribing strategies to treat patients at risk of opioid misuse or opioid use disorder (OUD).
REGISTER HERE
PRESENTED BY
- Tipu V. Khan, MD, FAAFP, FASAM; Addiction Medicine Fellowship Director, VCMC
- Kyle Stephens, DO, Family Medicine Specialist, Primary Care
- George Chang Chien, DO, Director of Pain Management, Ventura County Medical Center
For more information: Ashley.Nettles@ventura.org
Prescribers are key to creating change in our community.
Thanks to exceptional local collaboration, Ventura County has seen a decrease in opioid prescribing in recent years – a 24% reduction between 2017 and 2020 – as providers have employed safe prescribing practices and increased use of non-narcotic pain management strategies.
Unfortunately, overdose deaths continue to climb, largely due to illegal fentanyl, which has replaced much of the local heroin use and is contributing to the rising number of overdose emergencies. As a concerned local provider, we invite you to join the Prescriber Discussion Series:
- Hear from local experts and discuss with peers the latest trends and best practices.
- Get provider-focused resources to reduce misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD).
- Learn the new State guidelines and latest tools for patient care and provider coordination.
Connecting because we care. For our patients and for our community.
UPCOMING DISCUSSIONS IN THE SERIES
- August 31, 2022 • 5:30 7:30 PM
Deprescribing is Good Prescribing
- September 21, 2022 • 5:30-7:30pm
Person-Centered Strategies to Reduce Opioid Overdose
PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS
- May 11, 2022 • 5:30–7:30 PM
Latest Trends in Overdose: What Prescribers Need to Know About Illicit Fentanyl
LEARN MORE AND REGISTER:
Interview with Dr. Christopher Young, MD, Ventura County Medical Examiner
COAST has enjoyed the collaboration of COAST Leads from agencies within Ventura County, including Public Health, Emergency Medical Services, Medical Examiner’s Office, Health Care Agency and Ventura County Sheriff’s Office. Today we are talking with Christopher Young, MD, Ventura County Medical Examiner.
Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up and where did you receive your education/training?
Dr. Young: I was a California kid. I grew up in Topanga Canyon and the San Fernando Valley and graduated from Chaminade High School in West Hills. Although I wasn’t from Ventura, I spent a great deal of time in the county surfing and boating. My undergraduate degree in biology was earned at Pepperdine University.
After graduating from Pepperdine, I left California for many years. Medical school was at UT in Houston, Texas. My residency training was at Oregon Health and Sciences University in Portland, Oregon. My forensics fellowship was in Dallas, Texas at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences. After completing my training, I lived in Portland, Oregon where I served as a forensic pathologist for the Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office for 13 years. I was hired as the Chief Medical Examiner for Ventura County in July of 2017. After spending 23 years training and practicing in other states, it felt great to return home to California.
Ventura County is one of only a small number of California counties with a Medical Examiner rather than a Coroner. Explain the difference and why having a Medical Examiner is beneficial.
Dr. Young: Within the United States, there are two systems of death investigation: coroner and medical examiner. The coroner system dates to feudal England and the medical examiner system started in the early 1900’s in the U.S. While both offices employ forensic pathologists to perform autopsies, a coroner’s office is usually run by an elected person with no formal medical training while a medical examiner’s office is overseen by a physician, usually a forensic pathologist. While there are few federal regulations pertaining to death investigation, for the past 100 years, the federal government has repeatedly recommended replacing coroner’s offices with modern, independent medical examiner’s offices.
Of California’s 58 counties, Ventura County is one of only six counties with a modern medical examiner system of death investigation. Ventura County is especially progressive, having switched from coroner to medical examiner way back in 1974. Although only six counties have a medical examiner’s office, almost half of the state’s population is served this modern system of death investigation. It is the larger, more progressive counties that have made the change to a medical examiner system. The total combined population of the six medical examiner counties of Ventura, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Joaquin comprise nearly half of the population for California.
Forensic pathologists play a vital role in communities and in the justice system concerning matters related to death. For death investigation to be done properly, investigations must be performed in an objective, neutral and independent setting. The investigation of deaths can become the focus of political or legal pressures by individuals or offices seeking to influence a pathologist’s findings.
Two of the primary reasons for the federal government to recommend the medical examiner model of death investigation are independence and medical oversight. Independence is critical as potential and inevitable conflicts of interest arise in offices run by elected officials and law enforcement. The most obvious and glaring example of conflict of interest occurs when in-custody death or police shooting death is investigated by the same law enforcement agency involved in the death.
Another distinguishing feature of a medical examiner office is that these offices are run by physicians with specialized training. An example where death investigation oversight by a physician is especially important is the opioid epidemic. In order to understand the opioid epidemic, the drugs which caused the death must be identified. In some California, non-medical examiner offices, a pathologist may conclude that a death is the result of a “combined drug overdose”. In these offices, the death certificate is often completed by a non-medical deputy investigator.
For these overdose cases the death certificate may indicate an overdose with no drugs listed or, alternatively, the deputy may attempt to include every drug listed in the toxicology report on the death certificate (including many drugs not related to the death). In Ventura County, every death certificate is certified by a physician. When the death is the result of an overdose, only those specific drugs that contributed to death are listed on the death certificate. Medical opinion and certification are necessary to accurately identify and characterize individual overdose deaths; but are also critical to accurately define and understand the opioid epidemic as a whole. The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has been complimented by state California Department of Public Health for the detailed information included on death certificates for overdose deaths.
COAST has focused on the opioid crisis in our county. What have you seen over the past three years?
Dr. Young: The opioid crisis is a complex and ongoing problem throughout the United States which has also affected Ventura County. Over the past three years, we have seen an unprecedented numbers of overdose deaths. The majority of these deaths were the result of opioids and methamphetamine. Opioid deaths include prescription opioids like oxycodone or codeine, but a large percentage of these deaths in Ventura were due to heroin and fentanyl. Prior to 2020, fentanyl overdoses were less common than heroin deaths. Overdose deaths increased dramatically in 2020 and the increase was almost entirely due to fentanyl. Comparing deaths from 2019 and 2020, the total number of overdose deaths in Ventura increased from 149 to 217. Comparing these same years, the number of fentanyl overdose deaths went from 33 to 87.
Fentanyl is an extremely potent opioid drug which causes respiratory depression. Historically, the illicit form of the drug was recognized as a white powder. Death investigations in Ventura over the past year and a half have shown that fentanyl can have many forms. In some instances, illicitly manufactured, counterfeit pills appear to be Xanax or Oxycontin but are, in fact, fentanyl. In other cases, tan, sticky material resembling heroin also turns out to be fentanyl. While many of the individuals who overdosed on fentanyl may have known that they were using fentanyl, many other people may have overdosed and died unknowingly.
COAST helped your office produce an ‘Overdose Do’s and Don’ts’ video to educate first responders in helping you do your job when there’s an overdose death investigation. What other support has Behavioral Health/COAST provided to the MEO in the past few years?
Dr. Young: The opioid epidemic is a community problem which affects people throughout our county. The only way to approach the monumental issue of opiate addiction, treatment and prevention is through teamwork. Behavioral Health and COAST have facilitated communication and cooperation between agencies and departments so that we can fight the epidemic as a team. The educational video for first responders at overdose scenes is just one example of how resources have been used to improve the county approach to the epidemic.
In addition to helping promote best practices at overdose scenes, the COAST team has also helped our office promote safe prescribing. COAST provided staffing resources to help our office identify prescribers whose patients died, and the prescribed drug contributed to the death. Oftentimes, a physician may not be informed about a patient’s death. For this group of overdose deaths, the physician receives a letter from the Medical Examiner’s Office. The purpose of these courtesy letters is to inform the doctor about the death and to provide resources for safe prescribing. The focus of these letters is not punitive, but the goal is to promote best practices and improve communication with providers.
Regarding the opioid crisis, I get especially excited to work with our partner organizations to prevent overdose deaths; work I like to refer to as “medical examiner prevention”. One way that the COAST team facilitated collaboration is through sharing data. Along with other agencies and departments, the Ventura Medical Examiner’s Office is sharing data with the COAST epidemiologists. Death investigation information like location of overdoses and location of death will be combined with location data from other sources to generate maps which will help guide our county's response toward prevention and treatment. If I start to feel discouraged by the increasing number of overdose deaths within the county, I find solace when I think about the hard work of caring individuals and organizations within our county working to prevent these deaths and I think about the lives saved by supplying naloxone.
How many investigators do you have on staff?
Dr. Young: The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office employs seven full time medicolegal death investigators. Over the past year, our office has seen a steady increase in caseload, in part due to both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic. In response to the increased workload, we have utilized one of our Forensic Pathology Technicians to assist in investigations. During the COVID-19 spike, the county provided our office with a disaster worker from human resources. She quickly integrated with our team and helped us through these tough times.
What prompted you to go into this field?
Dr. Young: My father is a physician, specialized in treating people with burn injuries. As a pre-med, undergraduate student, I accompanied him to the hospital operating room and the county courtroom. In the operating room, I observed a team of physicians as they repaired life threatening and disfiguring burn wounds. In the court room, I observed my father as he provided expert medical testimony in child abuse burn cases. These experiences would play a large role in my decision to become a forensic pathologist years later.
I started medical school planning to become a family practice physician or surgeon and knew nothing about the specialty of forensic pathology. Like my fellow classmates, I knew that I wanted to use my abilities to help others and serve the community. I was drawn to surgical pathology because it required observational, deductive and hands on skills. Like others considering this field, I had reservations about becoming a surgical pathologist because most of the job is spent looking through a microscope, with little patient interaction. During a medical school surgical pathology rotation, I was invited to visit the medical examiner’s office in Houston, Texas. This was my first encounter with forensic pathology and almost instantly, I recognized that this was my calling.
After exploring this specialty further, I realized that my talents were well suited to this type of work. Forensic pathology requires hands on and observation skills but also requires communication skills to explain findings to others. The conclusions that I make as a forensic pathologist are based on autopsy observations, microscopic specimen evaluation and toxicology interpretation. The most rewarding aspect of the job is the interactions with other people. Clearly explaining findings and conclusions to family members, law enforcement officers, attorneys, jurors, insurance companies, reporters and other physicians requires communication skills, empathy, and patience.
At the end of the day, I became a doctor to help others and the community and forensic pathology fulfills these goals. The information generated from our investigations and autopsies can provide closure for family members, but this information can also save lives, for example when an inherited medical condition is identified. Providing physicians with details about how their patient died can help improve their practice of medicine. Medical expert testimony can help resolve criminal and civil issues within our justice system. Regarding the opiate epidemic, my hope is that information learned from our investigations and autopsies will help guide efforts to prevent future addiction, overdoses, and deaths.
Do you have any tips/advice that the general public could benefit from knowing in regard to opiate/fentanyl overdose?
Dr. Young: I think the best advice I can offer is to take action. The opioid crisis potentially affects everyone in our community, and we need to acknowledge the problem and take measures to protect our friends and family. Openly talking with our youth about the dangers of drug use and experimentation can go a long way toward preventing future addiction and deaths. Safely disposing of unused prescriptions will help prevent drug diversion where the drug is sold or used by someone else. If you or someone you know has an addiction or uses illicitly obtained drugs of any sort, there is always the possibility that the drug might contain fentanyl. Because any illicit drug might contain fentanyl, knowing the signs and symptoms of opioid toxicity and having naloxone on hand could save a life.
What else could benefit residents of Ventura County to know about the Medical Examiner's Office?
Dr. Young: I am proud to be the Chief Medical Examiner for Ventura County. The staff in my office have a difficult job to do and they are hardworking and care about the community that we serve. The county has shown our office a great deal of support allowing us carry out our duties in a timely, accurate and compassionate manner.
Thank you, Dr. Young, for sharing your valuable experience with us!
Featured Campaign: Fentanyl is Forever
Reflecting the United States struggles with tragic drug overdoses exceeding 100,000 deaths in 12 months, Ventura County’s local accidental fatal overdoses have also risen dramatically. In both cases, the increases are driven and sustained by illegal fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid that has flooded the illicit drug supply.
In response to the covert dangers of fentanyl, Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH) just released a new community campaign, Fentanyl is Forever (English) and El Fentanilo es para Siempre (Spanish). The prevention messages unfold through five diverse short stories that allow people to experience and understand the risks of fentanyl to their friends, families, and communities. In addition to warning the public about the dangers of fentanyl, viewers are then linked to local resources for more information and help.
The goals of the campaign are to increase awareness of fentanyl risks and its impact on communities, and to decrease the stigma related to talking about substance misuse and addiction. It complements messaging related to naloxone preparedness and substance use disorder treatment.
Learn more:
National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2021 - 10 AM - 2 PM
Saving Lives
Ventura County is committed to preventing prescription drug misuse and abuse. One of the ways the county works to address the issue locally is by reducing access, especially to teens. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office in collaboration with Ventura County Behavioral Health established a countywide Rx disposal program that allows residents to safely dispose of unused, unwanted, or expired Rx medication via secure, confidential disposal bins. Over the last several years, this has expanded to other jurisdictions and retail pharmacies.
The DEA’s Take Back Day provides an opportunity to prevent drug addiction and overdose deaths. It encourages people to dispose of prescription drugs while also educating the public about the potential for abuse of medications.
What You Can Do
- Commit to safely disposing of your prescription drugs
- Get the facts on Rx & OTC drug abuse
- Dispel the myth that Rx drugs are safe to abuse
- Know the signs and symptoms of drug use
- Monitor and secure all medications
Learn more:
News: Overdose Deaths in Ventura County spiked in 2020, Largely Due to fentanyl
Ventura County saw a spike in overdose deaths in 2020, driven largely by a powerful synthetic opioid, a new report shows. Fatal overdoses reached 217 in 2020, a jump of more than 45% compared to the prior year, according to an annual report from the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office. "A few years ago, when there were reports about fentanyl in other parts of the country, we weren't seeing that many deaths from it here in Ventura County," said Dr. Christopher Young, the county's chief medical examiner. “This is a dangerous drug that's in our community and causing these deaths," Young said.
Source: Ventura County Star
Special Report: 2020 Fatal Overdoses
Noteworthy trends:
- Total overdose deaths between 2019 and 2020 increased by 68 (45.6% increase). Compared to the previous year, accidental overdoses for 2020 increased by 75 while suicidal overdoses decreased by 5.
- Fentanyl and benzodiazepine deaths increased significantly in 2020 compared to 2019. Fentanyl contributed to 54 more deaths than the previous year. Benzodiazepines contributed to 34 more deaths than the previous year.
- The highest number of overdose deaths in 2020 were between ages 31 to 40 years (49 deaths) and of these deaths, 24 involved fentanyl.
Learn more:
- Overdose deaths in Ventura County spiked in 2020, largely due to fentanyl, Ventura County Star, March 3, 2021
- Special Report: 2020 Fatal Overdoses, County of Ventura, Medical Examiner’s Office
- Opioid Data Dashboard, COAST Ventura County
Interview with Brad Friday, COAST Grant
Today we are talking with Brad Friday, Implementation Coordinator for the County Opioid Abuse Suppression Taskforce (COAST) Grant, Ventura County Behavioral Health, Substance Use Services - Prevention.
Hi Brad. Please describe your work with the COAST grant.
Brad: My work with COAST includes collection, dissemination, and publishing of pertinent County Opioid-related data via Public and Internal Dashboards, as well liaising between the requirements of the grant and our key stakeholders/partners.
How did you get interested in the field of prevention?
Brad: While serving as an Active-Duty Hospital Corpsman in the Navy, I was assigned to Marine Corps ground forces as a Field Medic. The prevention bug first bit while preparing/educating Marines prior to operational deployments rather than being strictly reactionary. After that tour I became a “Preventive Medicine Technician” within Navy Medicine which specialized in overall safety, health, and wellness of deployable forces within the Navy and Marine Corps.
What is your passion for working in the community?
Brad: It’s validating to contribute toward providing our diverse population a safe place to live and grow despite the challenges we face. This only happens by being at the ground level and interacting with the community along with our multi-agency partners who are working hard to achieve this mutual goal. My passion is to keep these threads tied together, to enhance these relationships and to maintain a unified front in suppressing the opioid crisis.
What are the areas that you hope to make changes in?
Brad: My goal in working within the COAST Project is to act as a conduit toward reducing opiate abuse, overdoses and overdose deaths via immediate communication of real-time data. This communication will then guide prevention, health care, and community leaders who join us in tackling the opioid crisis toward making more informed decisions.
Tell us one thing about you that helps us get to know you better?
Brad: I am originally from the Midwest but felt deeply connected to Ventura County upon being stationed in Port Hueneme some 20 years ago. While my career took me out of the county for a while, the attachment to this area never left. I’m not only happy that I get to live in this amazing area with so much to offer; I’m also increasingly proud I’m able to serve this community in this capacity.
Thank you Brad for sharing your experience with us. Your commitment and passion is inspiring.
Learn more:
Opioid Data Dashboard
Rx Drop-off Day - December 5
Drop off your unused and expired Rx Medications at the Oxnard Police Department's Rx Drop-Off Day on Saturday, December 5!
County launches dashboard to track opioid use, abuse
Simi Valley Acorn, September 18, 2020
Online resource made possible by federal grant aimed at addressing crisis.
The Ventura County Behavioral Health Department launched on Sept. 1 a public-facing data dashboard that provides the community with statistics about opioid-involved drug use. Dr. Loretta Denering, chief of the county’s Substance Use Services Division, said the new dashboard will be a valuable resource to county residents. “Local trends and resources, including addiction treatment locations, prescription drug drop-off locations and overdose prevention strategies, are featured,” she said. “Until now, there has never been a one-stop site.”
In 2018, the department was awarded a federal grant that, in collaboration with multiple agencies, has allowed for more innovative ways to address the opioid crisis. One of the grant efforts was to create the community dashboard in addition to tracking the nature and extent of the crisis locally, as well as providing more services to the public, especially those with an opioid-use disorder.
Getting Naloxone during COVID-19
If a loved one or someone you know may be at risk of an overdose, call us about getting an Overdose Rescue Kit. If you are eligible for a kit, we will train you online on how to use naloxone. You will then be instructed on how to pick up a kit by appointment at one of our VCBH locations.
Call about a Rescue Kit at (805) 667-6663.
News: Eco-tip: Safeguard drug discards in a time of opioid crisis
“Don’t be a drug dealer!” warned a flier distributed to seniors over the past month. The flier advocated safe disposal for expired and unused drugs and promoted a collection event, which collected and safely disposed more than 22 pounds of pills at three senior centers in Oxnard. To combat the problem of seniors unwittingly contributing to the opioid addiction epidemic by storing unused and expired medications in places accessible to friends, family, workers, intruders or just curious children, Eastlake obtained a grant to fund the Senior Volunteer Program, which includes the drug collection program. Using additional funds and assistance provided by the Ventura County Behavioral Health Department, Eastlake is also overseeing additional efforts by STOP, an acronym for Seniors Tackling the Opioid Problem.
News: Lethally potent counterfeit pills taking more lives with drug overdoses in Ventura County
More Ventura County drug abusers are overdosing on pills that look like real medications but are often spiked with a lethally potent synthetic opioid, according to authorities. While the overall number of overdoses appears to be holding steady, authorities are seeing a lower proportion from the street forms of drugs that are injected or smoked, according to the Ventura County Pharmaceutical Crimes Unit. Instead, the trend since the last quarter of 2019 is toward look-alikes of commonly abused prescription pills.
Armed with overdose drug Narcan, Oxnard police aim to reduce opioid fatalities
Ventura County Star
Public safety personnel locally and nationwide have seen a dramatic increase in drug overdose calls in recent years. In 2018, Oxnard police responded to 190 overdose calls, or nearly four per week. The Oxnard Police Department has responded to the opioid epidemic by training officers to administer an overdose-reversal drug and changing the protocol for logging overdose calls. In early 2018, the department began equipping officers with naloxone, also known as Narcan, a nasal spray that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. Today, 150 officers are equipped with naloxone kits, Cmdr. Sharon Giles said Tuesday in a report to the City Council.
“If you have someone that you believe is suffering from drug dependency and has overdosed, this goes into the nostril, a couple pumps and it’s administered,” Giles told the council while showing the nasal spray. In 2018, 19 of the 96 opioid-related deaths in Ventura County were in Oxnard. Figures for 2019 were not yet available, but Giles said she expects the number will be lower due to naloxone. 2019 was the first full year in which officers were equipped with naloxone. Officers used the nasal spray nine times.
> Read the Story, Ventura County Star
> See the Video "Oxnard Police Respond to the Opioid Epidemic in Ventura County"