The public filled Fuller Lodge to take part in the Fentanyl Awareness Harm Reduction event Thursday. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com

In addressing something as complex as drug use and drug addiction, it would appear the one most effective response is also the most simple: exercising empathy.

During the Fentanyl Awareness Harm Reduction event held Thursday at Fuller Lodge, participants heard from Los Alamos Police Department Det. Jemuel Montoya and Cpl. Jaime Gonzales and from The Mountain Center’s Harm Reduction Program Manager Kelly Mytinger about fentanyl: how it is used, symptoms of use and how it is treated.

Whether it was from the law enforcement perspective or the treatment viewpoint, one message seemed to be emphasized throughout the event: practice compassion and understanding toward someone with a drug addiction.

Mytinger pointed out everyone takes part in risky behavior; it is human nature to do exactly what you want to do all the time. What the harm reduction program does is offer a safer choice.

“The best thing you can do is to make sure people have the resources and information to make the safest choice and the most informed choice,” she said.

Drug use carries a lot of stigmas, Mytinger added, and that can dissuade people from talking or opening up about drug use.

“People need to feel comfortable, asking questions and seeking help and that is really difficult when they’re worried that the person who they are going to talk to is going to stigmatize them or punish them,” she said.

When Montoya and Gonzales were asked how to dispel someone’s fears about asking for help from the police with a drug problem, both commented that the police department is here to assist.

Montoya said it isn’t necessarily true that if a person confides in a police officer that they are doing drugs, the officer will immediately arrest them.

“We have many services … we are not just here to arrest people, we are here to help people,” he said. “…We help people, we get you in the programs, we’ll get you in the right directions, we’ll get the phone numbers …”

Gonzales added that pointing individuals in the direction of who or what matters to them also is effective. As an analogy, he said sticking a seed into dirt won’t help it grow. The seed needs water and nutrients. It’s the same with people.

“They’ll deal with a lot of individuals who are going to look down on them, simply for the fact that they have an addiction, but we are not here to judge,” he said. “We are all human; we all make mistakes. Not a single one of us in here is perfect … but help people by helping them focus.”

Fentanyl, according to Gonzales’ and Montoya’s presentation, is a synthetic drug that is 1,000 times stronger than heroin. Since it is used by pharmaceutical companies, it has created unintentional users.

“Not everybody out there is looking to use fentanyl,” Montoya said. “Not everybody out there is looking to catch heroin. Sometimes it has an unrelated effect. You may have hurt your back; you may have had surgery. You may have had something happened, too, that is out of your control.”

If a person can no longer get a prescription, they might turn to the streets, he said. Drug cartels capitalize on this and start manufacturing their own pills, which have been found to include Xylazine, a tranquilizer used for horses.

Signs of possible fentanyl use are broken pens and pieces of aluminum foil, which people will use to smoke the fentanyl pills. Montoya and Gonzales also mentioned burnt fingertips or lips, constricted pupils and drooping eyelids or if a person is having difficulty concentrating and has relaxed inhibitions.

The drug can be taken by anyone, Montoya added.

People with six figure salaries battle with fentanyl addiction same as those in lower income brackets.

“Addiction is across the board,” he said. “It is not low; it is not high. It is from A to Z.”

People don’t use drugs for no reason, Mytinger said. It can be anything from having a history of drug use in the family or suffering from severe pain. When talking to someone dealing with drug use, kindness and compassion are important, she added. Use facts rather than fear and offer any resources that you are aware of.

If someone is overdosing, Mytinger advised about what to do. She recommended everyone carry Narcan. It is extremely effective with less side effects than aspirin.

To make sure someone is unconscious, try waking them by yelling or calling their name. If that doesn’t work, Mytinger said to run your knuckles along their sternum, the burning sensation should wake them up but if it doesn’t, then proceed to call 911 and do rescue breathing.

Mytinger outlined the steps for rescue breathing:

• Tilt the head back.
• Plug the nose.
• Make a seal with your lips to theirs and breathe into their mouth. Their chest, not their stomach should be rising.
• Administer the Narcan; this can be done before the rescue breathing. Insert the nasal spray into the person’s nose and press the pink button. The entire contents will be dispensed.

Mytinger said it can take up to two minutes for the Narcan to take effect so continue rescue breathing until the person regains consciousness. If you need to leave the person, lay them on their side with one knee bent to keep them propped and not lay flat on the floor.

The event was a collaboration between several agencies including Los Alamos JJAB, Los Alamos Public Schools Thrive, Los Alamos County Social Services, Municipal Court, and the Mountain Center. Free kits of Narcan were distributed during the event. Narcan also is available for free at the County Health Commons, 1183 Diamond Dr., Suite D, Los Alamos Social Services office, 1183 Diamond Dr., Suite E and at Social Services outreach events, including the Thursday Farmers Markets and the Summer Concert Series.

This isn’t where the discussion ends; Los Alamos JJAB Executive Director Rachel Mohr-Richards announced that a Youth Mental Health First Aid Training will be held 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 22 at Cottonwood on the Greens. The training prepares adults to recognize signs and symptoms of youth in a mental health or substance use crisis. To register, go to www.losalamosjjab.com/events.

Los Alamos County Social Services Manager Jessica Strong speaks during the Fentanyl Awareness Harm Reduction event Thursday at Fuller Lodge. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

Los Alamos Police Det. Jemuel Montoya speaks during the Fentanyl Awareness Harm Reduction event Thursday at Fuller Lodge. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com

The Mountain Center’s Harm Reduction Program Manager Kelly Mytinger speaks during the Fentanyl Awareness Harm Reduction event Thursday at Fuller Lodge. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com