Details remain reserved as Kern celebrates $11 million for local fentanyl task force

Sep. 28—When it comes to California's fentanyl crisis, experts and officials unanimously agree, you can't arrest your way out of it.

What we can do, instead, is throw a "piee" at it.

"Prevention, intervention, education," said Arvin Police Chief Alex Ghazalpour. "Oh, and with that extra 'E' at the end of P.I.E.E. being law enforcement."

Outside its Public Health Services Department office, Kern County celebrated an $11 million slice of the state's pie, the $310.8 billion budget that included money for Kern to establish a local fentanyl task force and awareness campaign.

The makeup of the task force, while still being ironed out, is likely to reflect those in attendance Thursday: health care professionals, addiction experts, law enforcement, legislators and community advocates. Their goal, through studies, public outreach and other possible avenues, would be to develop a Kern-specific effort to solve the fentanyl crisis.

"It's very, very refreshing to see everybody here," Ghazalpour said.

It was founded on the concept that fentanyl needs to be tackled on a unified front. Despite the best intentions of agencies and health officials, too many departments work far too disparately.

Dr. Jasmeet Bains, D-Delano, who represents the state's 35th District in the Assembly, said that "everything is still on the table," from additional staffing to equipment and supplies, as she and the other involved parties continue to flesh out the program.

While not the first of its kind — task forces have been created by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Fresno and Sacramento — Kern was the only county in the state awarded money for a local fentanyl task force. Bains said it was because "there was a fighter for her county in the state Assembly."

"There is a person that did not give up," she continued. "And there is a community behind her that didn't let her give up."

Funds for the program are to be dispersed in March of next year.

It mirrors Bains' inaugural bill, A.B. 33, which upon a signature by Gov. Gavin Newsom would create a statewide fentanyl task force.

The task force comes at a time when county officials are running at full steam in stalling fentanyl.

As of August, the Kern County Sheriff's Office has seized about 50 pounds of fentanyl, and more than 200 pounds in 2022. Still, KCSO officials have said in past interviews this a small percentage of what is regularly moved through the Central Valley.

In 2021, there were nearly 6,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in California, according to the state's health department.

Andrea Kohler, an assistant district attorney for the county, said that "virtually every" M30 tablet, or Oxycodone, coming through the Kern Regional Crime Lab is a counterfeit pill laced with suspected fentanyl.

"One fentanyl death by overdose is too many," said Stacy Kuwahara, the director of Kern Behavioral Health and Recovery Services. "And we know here in Kern, we are dealing with many, many more than that."

Kuwahara said that last year, Kern BHRS distributed 2,300 naloxone kits, or NARCAN, and have since 2019 reported 650 successful overdose reversals — numbers to be proud of, but "not high enough" when comparing the amount of fentanyl "circulating in our community."

Kuwahara said she is especially excited about the incoming awareness campaign, which will help the public better understand the dangers, prevalence and resources available in dealing with fentanyl.

"It's really essential that we're protecting young people with education," Kuwahara said. "Give them information, give them resources to make better decisions to resist dangers."

Past fentanyl awareness events were held in Bakersfield but were sparse and regularly saw low attendance.

But many, including Kir Butterworth and Emilia May, maintained that education must be continually offered. The two both lost loved ones to fentanyl overdose, adding that reliable information on the subject — like how to best support someone struggling to recover — is hard to find.

"Recovery is huge for them," Butterworth said. "They want to recover, they don't want to die ... but sometimes they don't know the resources and what to do and how we can help them."

The $11 million allocation comes after more than 20 fentanyl bills, including A.B. 33, passed through the California Legislature earlier this month. Bills must signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom by Oct. 19 to become law.

Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, who leads the newly formed Fentanyl, Opioid Addiction, and Overdose Prevention Committee, said in a news release on Thursday that the fentanyl epidemic is among the "deadliest public health crises in our nation's history" and warrants a record number of bills to tackle it.

"I applaud my colleagues for their commitment to fighting this poison that is killing our family members," Haney said. "The state needs every tool at its disposal and the bills passed this year are a strong step in the right direction to get people into treatment and get these drugs off our streets."