9 opioid overdoses in 10 days prompts county-wide response

After an alarming spike in opioid-related overdose and death doctors, law enforcement, and community leaders are sending a warning to Monterey County.

Doctors saved the life of the most recent overdose patient on the peninsula, Wednesday night. Others weren’t as lucky. ” As we saw from this horribly tragic case recently, the ultimate price to pay is death, ” said Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula (CHOMP) Emergency Department director, Casey Grover.

A 16-year-old Central Coast High School student died over the weekend after an overdose. ” She was perfectly fine and then she overdosed. It’s sad. She was really well-known around school, ” said student, AJ Fernandez.

Grover said the pills were likely laced with fentanyl . He said the drug is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.

Grover revealed the majority of recent overdoses on the peninsula have involved teens. In response, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District ( MPUSD ) plans to address the problem in their middle and high schools. ” It’s so different from when I was a kid, or when most of our staff members were kids. To my understanding, now, some pills, even just holding it in your hand, can be dangerous. We’re educating our staff, ” said MPUSD superintendent, PK Diffenbaugh .

In the past, school resource officers have been the only staff trained to use narcan . The district said they are now planning to train principals. ” We’re in the process of working with Dr. Grover. We want to be prepared for the very worst, ” said Diffenbaugh .

Police said if you suspect someone has overdosed, always call 911. Under the Good Samaritan Law you will not be prosecuted.

KION 2019