SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
October is National Substance Use Prevention Month, and Sacramento County officials are continuing their “Just One Pill Can Kill” campaign as opioid overdose deaths have claimed hundreds of lives locally.
“My son’s death came at what seemed to be the very beginning of the extreme rise in fentanyl deaths. Since he died, the deaths just kept going higher and higher,” said Rich Lee, whose son Jacob Lee died at age 23 from opioid poisoning. Lee stated that his son thought he was taking Percocet.
Despite the tens of thousands of lives lost to overdoses, there is a glimmer of hope. The U.S. is experiencing a 10% decrease in the number of fatal overdoses this year.
This decrease is also reflected in counties like Sacramento. “I don’t think there’s less usage; I think there’s less dying due to the programs and services in place here in Sacramento County,” said Lori Miller from the Sacramento County Department of Health Services. Miller serves as a behavioral health division manager focusing on substance use prevention and treatment.
Another county showing a decline is Placer County. A spokesperson with the Health and Human Services division informed KCRA that in 2023, they recorded 49 deaths attributed to fentanyl, but the latest update shows only nine.
Placer County has also been promoting its “1 Pill Can Kill” campaign to raise awareness about fentanyl’s dangers.
Another contributing factor to this decline is the widespread distribution of overdose-reversal medications, such as naloxone, along with greater access to opioid addiction treatment.
However, experts express concern that as the year progresses, there may be an uptick in overdose numbers. “During the holiday season, we often see increased challenges with mental health and substance misuse. As we move through October into December, we may see an increase in numbers, but hopefully, it’s still significantly lower than the 400 we witnessed last year,” said Hakeem O. Adeniyi Jr., chief clinical officer at the Sacramento Native American Health Center.
In San Joaquin County, public health services have observed a rise in fentanyl and opioid-related deaths this year and have intensified their “Fentanyl is Fatal” campaign, providing Narcan through vending machines and in-person distribution.
Do you have photos or video of an incident? If so, upload them to KCRA.com/upload. Be sure to include your name and additional details for proper credit.