Bernalillo County announced its observance of National Fentanyl Prevention and Awareness Day on Aug. 21, aligning with the nationwide endeavor to raise awareness about the hazards of synthetic opioids. The website KeepNMAlive is one of the multiple outreach initiatives the county is using to actively engage in public education, according to a press release.
For the second consecutive year, Bernalillo County is collaborating with the City of Albuquerque, local health and wellness groups, public safety divisions and families affected by fentanyl to organize a forthcoming sequence of workshops in October, aiming to raise community awareness about fentanyl. The website encompasses resources like treatment possibilities, accessible support groups and avenues to engage in the struggle against fentanyl. Furthermore, it features "Faces of Fentanyl" video accounts, wherein certain New Mexico parents share testimonials about the loss of their children due to fentanyl-related poisoning.
“Moms, dads, brothers and sisters, grandparents and spouses are on the frontlines holding our community members through their suffering. We honor them on this National Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Day and offer the keepNMalive.com website, full of resources, hope and access to care to address this epidemic,” Bernalillo County District 3 Commissioner Adriann Barboa said, according to the press release.
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, holds a fatality rate almost 50 times that of heroin and potency 100 times greater than morphine. Its extreme addictiveness, affordability and ready accessibility contribute to its perilous nature, capable of proving fatal even in minute quantities. KeepNMAlive informs about the dangers and possible outcomes linked to fentanyl, identified by the National Drug Enforcement Administration as the most lethal and harmful substance threat within the Albuquerque metropolitan region. Bernalillo County's Department of Behavioral Health Services extends inpatient and outpatient treatments, detox facilities and community-focused programs.