Today, April 29, 2025, marks National Fentanyl Awareness Day—a powerful reminder that through awareness, we can bring hope and save lives. Thanks to growing community education, prevention efforts and support services, Sacramento County saw a 38% drop in fentanyl-related deaths in 2024 compared to the year before.
This progress shows that change is possible when we come together with compassion, knowledge and action. Sacramento County has invested heavily in public education efforts, such as Safer Sacramento, which provides educational multimedia resources to guide individuals to make healthy choices and to avoid or reduce the potential harm from the use or misuse of substances. On the Safer Sacramento website, you can click on the “Fentanyl Awareness” tab to find tons of facts and resources to help address the fentanyl crisis. Additionally, Safer Sacramento has a blog series called “The Ripple Effect” that integrates fact-based research and speaks to the fentanyl crisis from various lenses and perspectives, and highlights the work that Sacramento County and community partners are doing.
Other efforts to reduce opioid misuse, overdose and stigma include the work being done by the Sacramento County Opioid Coalition which is committed to saving lives by preventing overdoses through expanding treatment access, promoting safe disposal, encouraging early intervention, treatment and recovery, enhancing opioid surveillance, and expanding public education through outreach.. For more information or if you are interested in joining the Opioid Coalition, please visit their website.
There are also campaigns such as 1 Pill Can Kill, expanded access to Naloxone (Narcan) and strengthened partnerships across public health, behavioral health and community organizations. These efforts are equipping residents with life-saving knowledge and tools to prevent overdoses and learning where to seek help when needed. Sacramento County also has the Gone Too Soon Project that is focused on bringing healing to our community and awareness to the growing opioid crisis via digital media, public awareness campaigns and posters displayed at various locations throughout the County. If you have lost a loved one because of an overdose, you may share your loved one’s story and possibly prevent future losses by contacting info@sacopioidcoalition.org.
Additionally, the Sacramento Fire Department’s Street Overdose Response Team (SORT) continues to make a direct impact, reaching unhoused individuals and distributing Narcan during overdose responses, providing medication-assisted treatment and referring individuals to ongoing substance use disorder treatment. On a broader scale, State task forces have seized record amounts of fentanyl, further supporting local prevention efforts.
While challenges remain, Sacramento County’s progress is a powerful reminder that education and awareness save lives. If you or someone you know needs Narcan at no cost, please contact Sacramento County BHS SUPT directly or visit the Safer Sacramento website, and click on the “Resources” tab. Community organizations can also request larger quantities through the State’s Narcan Distribution Project. For those seeking help, Sacramento County remains committed to investing in treatment, recovery and prevention services. To access support, call 916-875-1055 or visit the Sacramento County BHS SUPT website for more information