L.A. County’s Substance Abuse and Prevention Control department educates students, staff and faculty about drug safety at the student health center on Feb. 8.
The hour-long presentation discussed the ways people could heighten their chances of an overdose, how to lower these risks, how to recognize and respond to others’ overdoses, and how to administer help to victims of overdoses.
Representative Xochilt Godinez presented information and demonstrations of drug safety and usage.
Fentanyl can be made out of anything and taken in multiple different ways. This makes it easier to be secretly used in uncommon places, Godinez said.
Naloxone, an overdose-blocking medication, was specifically a highlight of the hour.
While college campuses are required to carry this life-saving drug, lower education levels are not. In California, elementary, middle and high schools are not legally obligated to educate or provide drug awareness to their staff, students and faculty.
Citrus College Nurse Shauna Bigby said she doesn’t want students at Citrus to be uneducated about drug abuse.
“We (L.A. County’s Substance Abuse and Prevention Control) are doing all of this so that the students, staff and faculty have the opportunity to learn this,” Bigby said.
Bigby added to this topic, mentioning the requirements for college campuses.
“There’s a mandate that on college campuses that we are required to carry naloxone now,”
Bigby said.
Representative Lien Kho was in favor of this new requirement and wanted the requirement expanded to lower education levels.
“That’s what we are pushing for in each of the schools,” Kho said. “I think it’s important that kids are educated at a very young age to know the danger and the impact they will have. I think if you start it early then you have them learn what is the right choice to make and if they chose or if they do get exposed to using then they know to prevent overdose.”
Godinez backed this statement with her experience.
“I know that since fentanyl is very easily accessible now it not only can be found in parties, we also have found it in schools.”
She said the ways that uneducated children could fall victim, discussing how there are multiple ways fentanyl can be administered, thus making it easier for children to consume.
