LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – The Clark County Regional Opioid Task Force was launched Tuesday to track trends in deadly overdoses and find solutions to prevent more tragedies.
Assembly Bill 132 mandated the creation of the task force, noting the challenges for lagging data at the state level potentially hampering responses to current crises among communities.
The Nevada Drug Overdose Surveillance Monthly Report shows, in Clark County, emergency room visits have risen for the month of October year over year by 19%, with a slight uptick in more opioid prescriptions for local residents. Emergency room visits did stay stable from September to October.
The latest state data for deaths comes from the CDC in 2021: out of 932 overdoses, 544 resulted from opioids alone.
State lawmakers and bill advocates for Assembly Bill 132 intend for the task force to respond to trends in real time: where are deaths happening? Where should Naloxone be deployed?
“The recommendations are going to be particularly meaningful. I hope they are recommendations that really across the entire continuum from prevention, early intervention to treatment, and then also, harm reduction and to really keep people safe when they find themselves in this addiction,” said Jamie Sorenson, the director of Clark County Social Services. Sorenson noted vulnerable communities who may lack access to resources, from the homeless, youth exiting out of foster care, or the disabled and seniors.
Anyone who needs Narcan/Naloxone or Fentanyl test strips can find resources and click here: State resources
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