Riverside County launches Faces of Fentanyl campaign to bring awareness to dangers of lethal drug

Ernie Gutierrez was a bright and active child involved in sports and music, and as he grew older, was eager to join the United States Marine Corps to continue his family's tradition of serving his country, his mother Christina Rodriguez said.

He had the "biggest heart and sense of humor," but struggled with depression and other mental illness, which began to escalate in 2016.

With the help of Veterans Affairs, Gutierrez was able to receive medication and connections to programs, Rodriguez said. However, her son often complained about side effects he felt from medications, which then led him to self-medicate with illicit drugs. In the years to come, he encountered many involuntary treatment holds.

"When you have a son or daughter with mental illness, you never lose hope that one day they will get the right medication and help that every human being deserves," Rodriguez said.

Riverside County Sheriff's deputies with the Community Behavioral Health Assessment Team put the family in contact with the county's Behavioral Health department and set Gutierrez on his path toward recovery.

Tragically, Gutierrez did not see the end of the program. He died from a fentanyl overdose on Aug. 24, 2021.

"I feel that every parent who loses a child loses part of their soul forever," Rodriguez said Thursday during a news conference.

"We are in a crisis situation. We all, as a community, need to be part of the solution," she added.

In an effort to try to combat rising deaths from the synthetic opioid, leaders across Riverside County have launched the Faces of Fentanyl awareness campaign that aims to teach the public, especially young people, about the dangers of the drug.

Related: People are dying of fentanyl overdoses in Riverside County jails. How is it getting in?

More: Fentanyl overdoses, deaths are up in Riverside County. Many don’t know they’ve taken it

The website https://facesoffentanyl.net/ houses a new public service announcement, overdose data and resources available for those who are struggling with drug use or have loved ones who need help. The county also will be utilizing billboards, commercials and social media platforms, such as Snapchat and TikTok, to spread information. The cost for placing those ads for three months is $300,000.

The campaign combines the efforts of various county departments, including public health, behavioral health, social services, law enforcement and emergency management, with the mission to prevent "poisoning," Riverside County Second District Supervisor Karen Spiegel said.

The main message the departments hope to get across is that deaths can affect people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds.

"There's no one that is not possibly being involved in this, knowingly and unknowingly," Spiegel said.

County spokesperson Brooke Federico said this is the first step in a county-wide public education campaign about fentanyl and "there's much more work ahead."

Deadly numbers

Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and has been found in a number of other drugs, such as methamphetamines, cocaine, pills and marijuana in some cases. Often times, users don't know they're consuming it, District Attorney Mike Hestrin said, and it has become "rampant" in local communities.

Overdose deaths in Riverside County have doubled between 2017 and 2021 mostly due to fentanyl, and half of overdose deaths last year involved the drug, according to Public Health Officer Dr. Geoffrey Leung. Fentanyl-involved overdose deaths have increased from 28 in 2017 to 406 in 2021. The average age for all overdose deaths is 46.

So far, there have been 338 deaths as a result of fentanyl this year, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said, and he expects "we will far exceed" last year's total.

On the ground, the sheriff's department has seized 3,771,963 fentanyl pills and 398 pounds of fentanyl powder since Jan. 1. That amount is enough to kill nearly 94 million people, Bianco said, or the entire population of California twice.

Riverside County deputies carry Narcan, or naloxone, a nasal that can reverse the effects of opioids during an overdose, on the job, and Bianco estimated that more than 10,000 lives have been saved. All first responders carry the nasal as well, and also distribute leave-behind kits, which contain Narcan, among community members or families of those who might need it.  

Leung said many places, such as schools, have looked into making sure they have Narcan on site and available. Last month, the Los Angeles Unified School District announced that Narcan would be made available at all K-12 schools as a response to rising overdose deaths. It was not announced if districts in Riverside County would take a similar action.

Both Bianco and Hestrin said their agencies are committed to holding fentanyl dealers accountable for every life taken. Bianco said the sheriff's department has submitted 19 cases of fentanyl-related homicide to the Riverside County District Attorney's office, and four cases to the Assistant U.S. Attorney's Office. He added that an additional homicide arrest was made Thursday morning. The department also is focused on educating the community, lobbying for legislation and to prevent fentanyl from entering jails.

The District Attorney's office filed its first fentanyl murder case in February 2021, and since then has filed on 22 defendants for fentanyl-related deaths.

"We must continue to prosecute these cases — it just might save someone's life," Hestrin said.

'You may die'

As she has experienced immense pain in the last year following her son's death, Rodriguez hopes others don't have to go through the same heartache as her. She said it's important to inform children of all ages about the dangers and lethalness of fentanyl because it "has no boundaries."

"Whether you are knowingly hooked on fentanyl for the different kind of high, or unknowingly take a pill from someone other than a pharmacist or doctor, you may die," she said.

The Riverside County Behavioral Crisis Line can be reached at 888-724-7240, or 2-1-1 for more information and 24/7 support. The CARES line, which connects people to mental health services, can be reached at 800-499-3008.

Behavioral Health has also established several clinics throughout the county for those with substance use disorders, including ones in Desert Hot Springs, Indio and Palm Desert, as well as programs for those with opioid use disorders. For more information, visit https://www.rcdmh.org/

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Riverside County launches Faces of Fentanyl campaign to bring awareness to dangers of lethal drug