Sheriff Brown announces launch of Project Opioid Santa Barbara County

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sheriff Brown will publicly announce the launch of Project Opioid Santa Barbara County during a press conference on Wednesday May 18, 2022, at 12:15 p.m. at the Santa Ynez Marriott.

Project Opioid is meant to empower leaders to confront the overdose crisis with one shared goal: to reduce opioid deaths in their communities.

Project Opioid educates leaders on how to build a coalition, launch a regional overdose initiative, and promote high level advocacy.

Their hope is to transform and save the greatest number of lives in the communities.

Project Opioid Santa Barbara County has brought together key area leaders.

As part of the project, leaders will conduct an assessment of current community resources.

They will also aim to develop meaningful solutions to reduce the impact of the overdose crisis.

This press conference will feature the release of a report titled, “The Changing Overdose Crisis in California: A Community Needs Assessment of Santa Barbara County.”

The report has four key findings: Fatal overdoses are rising at an unprecedented rate in the State of California, and in Santa Barbara County.

Fentanyl has changed the game in California and is fueling the overdose epidemic in our community.

Santa Barbara residents who overdose are taking mixed illicit drugs, most combined with fentanyl, either knowingly or unknowingly.

Overdose deaths are highest amongst whites but are growing at a higher rate among the Hispanic community in Santa Barbara County.