Las Vegas Health Workers Take Proactive Measures to Combat Opioid Crisis
In response to the opioid crisis, health workers in Las Vegas are taking proactive measures to distribute harm reduction supplies in communities heavily impacted by overdoses and deaths. The Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) releases monthly Overdose Surveillance reports, which highlight areas with the most fatalities or emergency incidents.
Over the course of a year, downtown Las Vegas, UNLV, and Boulder Highway saw the highest number of deaths. SNHD workers track incidents to provide help and supplies, including naloxone or Narcan, which can reverse an overdose, and fentanyl test strips. They go out into the streets, encampments, and tunnels to reach individuals where they are at.
The Health District recently discovered the presence of Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” in illicit drugs in the valley. SNHD has increased efforts to distribute supplies, with 32,000 Narcan doses given out in the Las Vegas area last year, a number that is expected to double this year. The state’s goal is to distribute 170,000 doses annually throughout the county. Community partners regularly restock supplies at the SNHD headquarters and the goal is to have vending machines with free harm reduction supplies in more locations across the Valley.
According to Sara Ayoub from Foundation for Recovery, it is common to find individuals who have lost someone to an opioid overdose. The focus is on meeting people where they are, providing love, empathy
