---

---

A coalition combatting opioid abuse in Del Norte County has launched an online information hub for service providers, first responders and those battling addition.

Rx Safe Del Norte is also working to track the use of Naloxone locally, hoping to enhance anecdotal stories around the medication that halts an opioid overdose with concrete data.

However, after distributing 289 kits in the community, having 250 more to give out, and after hosting a wellness summit over the summer, the coalition’s facilitator, Jermaine Brubaker, says it’s without funding.

“I’ve been doing all of this pro bono until I can find more funding or there are grants coming up,” she told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Monday. “There’s been a lull in funding, but we’ve got these things going on. We’re not going to give up on them — we’re not going to stop the work.”

Created in March 2019, Rx Safe Del Norte currently operates under the umbrella of Open Door Community Health Clinics, Brubaker said.

Last month Rx Safe Del Norte received a grant from the North Coast Health Improvement and Information Network, or NCHIIN, to incorporate Del Norte resources into its database, she said.

The coalition is currently working to include information for Curry County services as well, Brubaker said, noting that many people seek help across county lines.

“There’s all sorts of things, different categories,” Brubaker said. “Everything from clothing and hygiene services, housing and shelter, medical care, nutrition services, addiction services.”

NCHIIN even links people to crisis response services including the Crescent City Police Department, Del Norte County Sheriff's Office and North Coast Rape Crisis Team.

Rx Safe Del Norte also has resource cards with information and will offer training to anyone on how to access resources via the NCHIIN website, Brubaker said.

Meanwhile, after distributing 289 Naloxone kits to a variety of agencies in Del Norte County, including the sheriff’s office, the Crescent City Police Department and Crescent City Fire & Rescue, Brubaker said it’s working on a way to track the use of those kits.
This effort will include gathering demographic information, the substances involved in the overdose, how much Naloxone was used and where the overdose occurred, Brubaker said.

“If we just look at death numbers we are missing a lot of opportunities to stop a fatal overdose,” she said, adding that tracking Naloxone use in Del Norte County isn’t happening. “We know first responders are using them on a regular basis, so that’s a good place for us to start. It gives us a better picture of where we can focus efforts.”

Brubaker said she hopes to have a tracking system in place by next year. Coming up with the staff to extrapolate that data is the biggest challenge, however. She noted that first responders are often busy responding to a variety of crises and collecting data is often difficult. Rx Safe Del Norte hopes to alleviate some of that staff pressure, she said.

Plus, Brubaker said, Del Norte County often gets lumped in with other counties when it comes to data because of its small population or there’s not enough information for the data to be statistically relevant.

“There’s opportunity more in rural communities than there are in urban communities to do this kind of collaboration work,” she said. “We know each other. We work together. We can actually have a conversation.”

Rx Safe Del Norte has also been working to erase the stigma associated with Naloxone and, through its Wellness Warrior Rx campaign, to show the various ways people can carry it. This is especially important during the holidays, Brubaker said.

“This is when people are at high risk,” she said. “There’s an increase in stress around the holidays, around family. An increase in alcohol consumption. We want to make sure we’re putting Naloxone in homes, especially during this season.”

---

SHARE →