Mohab County, Arizona (3TV/CBS 5) — A new pilot program is saving lives in Mojave County, a once drug-addicted community. Once the county with the highest overdose mortality rate in the state, now it’s bringing people back to life.
Drug overdoses are a frequent call for law enforcement, and fortunately cops use Narcan to save lives. They leave Narkan behind with pamphlets on how to use it in distressed communities. increase.
Kingman Police Chief Rusty Cooper said, “Most of the search warrants right now are meth and fentanyl, and they’re all splattered.” It’s a high place. It gives them opportunities for the future.”
A pilot program developed by HIDTA (High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) is operating in the county. Four years ago, it ranked number one in the state for overdose deaths. “Unfortunately, we were at the epicenter of pill overprescribing,” said Robert Devries, director of the Mohave Substance Treatment Education & Prevention Partnership (MSTEPP). “We started to see the impact of people turning to heroin and then introducing fentanyl.”
However, this new program resulted in a 49% reduction in overdose last year compared to the previous year. Just last month, nothing was recorded. “No one wants someone to die of a drug overdose. Whenever we can help someone not die of a drug overdose, we think we are doing a good thing.” This is a program that HIDTA wants to implement statewide in hopes of saving more lives.
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