NONPROFIT
NOT ALONE
A community-wide task force forms to bring awareness and prevention to misuse of fentanyl. By: AMANDA CUTBIRTH
With the blessing of our commissioners, a community-wide task force was created, with Canales and myself as co-chairs. Dr. Osbert Blow, president and chief medical officer of CHRISTUS Spohn Health System; Dr. Eric Deppert, chief medical officer of Corpus Christi Medical Center; and Dr. Mary Dale Peterson, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Driscoll Children’s Hospital, are part of the leadership as physician advisors. There are nine subcommittees focused on their expertise: Education, Medical, Behavioral Health, Law Enforcement, Emergency Services, Government, Faith Based, Publicity and Civil. I’m excited for what the task force is already working on and all that is to come. Our hopes are to provide the resources to change and save lives. We will be hosting a town hall meeting, as well as creating a website and phone application to better serve the needs of our community.
NUECES COUNTY HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST OVERDOSE DEATH RATES IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
From left to right: Hilary Watts, Emergency Services Committee chair, Dr. Gilda Ramirez, Civil committee chairmen,Amy Granberry, Government/Legislative committee chair, Dr. Nelly Garcia Blow, Medical Committee Chair, Dr.Zehra Surani, Education committee chair, Paul Thurman, Publicity committee chair, Alison Johnson, Behavioral Health committee chair, Amanda Cutbirth, Task Force Chairman, Special Agent Brannon Prevett, Law Enforcement committee chair. Not pictured: Jaime Reyna, Faith Based committee chair.
If you have questions or comments, please email aamandacutbirth@aol.com.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF MD ALLIANCE
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id you know that Nueces County has been listed as one of the highest overdose death rates in the state of Texas? The rate is 5.1 deaths per 100,000, and the majority of this is attributed to the use of fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic drug that is 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is often mixed with heroin, cocaine and pills. To have a better understanding, a “synthetic opioid” is a class of drugs produced to mimic the natural one and is produced by pharmaceutical companies and illicit drug makers. The use of fentanyl was meant for those with cancer and dealing with end of life, but like other drugs, it is being misused and lives are being lost. I became very passionate about these issues because of family and friends struggling with addiction, and I wanted to know where to start and how to help those I care about. I think most people feel very alone, and, because of the stigma, there is a sense of failure. Coupled with behavioral health issues, it becomes a vicious cycle. Realizing we are not alone, I wanted to help bring more awareness, prevention and resources to our community. I started by meeting with the various organizations and reached out to our county judge, Barbara Canales, who expressed how important this issue was to her, as well. She quickly called a meeting of key figures in our community.
