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Under the leadership of Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Christopher Young, the Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO) plays a critical role in identifying overdose trends, emerging substances, and populations at increased risk of harm. Through its partnership with COAST (Coalition for Overdose Awareness and Solutions Team), the MEO provides data that helps inform prevention strategies, public health planning, treatment programs, and community response efforts.

Ventura County has become recognized for its collaborative approach to overdose surveillance and prevention. By sharing data across agencies and disciplines, local partners are able to identify emerging threats and develop targeted interventions that save lives.

Learn more: Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office – Utilizing Death Data to Save Lives

Data published in September 2024 by the US Centers forDisease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirms a trend, already reported anecdotally by emergency department staff across the country, that deaths from drug overdose are falling fast, for the first time since the US opioid epidemic began a generation ago.

More than 107,000 people died of a drug overdose in 2023, down from roughly 111,000 in 2022. Synthetic opioids, mainly fentanyl, were involved in nearly 70% of the deaths – approximately 75,000 people – in 2023, which was a slight drop from 2022.

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Learn more:
Opioid crisis: Fall in US overdose deaths leaves experts scrambling for an explanation | The BMJ

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The drug overdose epidemic in theUnited States is a clear and present public health, public safety, and national security threat. DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day reflects DEA’s commitment to Americans’ safety and health, encouraging the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes as a measure of preventing medication misuse and opioid addiction from ever starting.

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Learn more:
‍www.dea.gov/takebackday

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Find a medication disposal drop-off location near you >

On Wednesday, March 27^th, COAST Ventura County hosted the second Facing Down Fentanyl Town Hall at Pacifica High School in Oxnard.

Our moderator for the evening, Gabe Teran, MS, of Next Gen Community Consulting, led a Q&A discussion with a robust group of panelists that covered numerous disciplines and included Ray Gonzales in education, Dawn Anderson, RN in healthcare, Jaime Villa for first responders, Ruben Ortiz for treatment, and James Ramos for lived experience.

The centerpiece of the 90-minute town hall was the question-and-answer period that had attendees asking questions around the availability of naloxone, what’s being taught in our schools and the prevalence of fentanyl in our community.

There were subject matter experts available to answer questions in addition to the panelists, represented by Law Enforcement, the Medical Examiner, the District Attorney and leadership of the county Behavioral Health Department.

The conversation provided information about talking to your children about drugs, resources available to the community, and how to receive help if you or a loved one is experiencing substance use disorder. Additionally, three local mothers shared their stories of loss in an impactful and motivating video. There were resource tables at the event so that attendees could get one-on-one information from experts in their fields.

COAST Ventura County, the alliance of county partner agencies, remains committed in this effort to keep county residents informed and safe from the dangers of fentanyl.

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The bi-monthly COAST Newsletter provides up-to-date information for county agencies and community partners on all activities of COAST. To access the most current issue, as well as back issues of the COAST Newsletter, follow this link: COAST Newsletter →