Agoura Hills Library To Get Drug To Reverse Fentanyl Overdoses

AGOURA HILLS, CA — As fentanyl overdose deaths spike among Los Angeles County's youth, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a plan Tuesday to place the overdose-reversal drug naloxone, or Narcan, at county libraries — including Agoura Hills' — and train librarians on how to administer it.

"Narcan is easy to use, anyone can carry it, and it saves lives," Supervisor Janice Hahn, who introduced the motion, said in a statement. "Opioid deaths and fentanyl poisonings are on the rise, and we should make sure Narcan is at our county libraries where so many young people spend time after school. Parents are scared and want to know where they can get Narcan to keep in case of an emergency, so I want to explore making our libraries Narcan kit distribution sites."

The motion comes on the heels of a series of overdoses involving Los Angeles Unified School District students, prompting the district to provide Narcan doses to all of its campuses. Fentanyl overdoses among Los Angeles teens has more than tripled since the start of the pandemic, reaching crisis levels as schools, health officials and parents grapple with the suddenly ubiquitous and deadly drug.

Last month, 15-year-old Melanie Ramos, died on the floor of a girls' bathroom on the campus at Bernstein High School in Hollywood after overdosing on fentanyl on Sept. 13. Her friend was found nearby suffering from an overdose. They were among a spate of seven fentanyl overdoses linked to a Hollywood campus in September. Two teens were arrested on suspicion of providing Percocet pills laced with fentanyl to their classmates. Last week, another student at the same campus— Bernstein High — was hospitalized due to a possible drug overdose.

Earlier this month, a 17-year-old musician and high school baseball player at El Camino Real High School Cade Kitchen, of Woodland Hills, died from a fentanyl overdose.

Hahn's motion also asked the county to explore making libraries distribution sites where residents can pick up doses of the medication.

The board also approved a motion by Supervisor Hilda Solis calling on various county health and education agencies to develop an educational toolkit for students, parents and others about the dangers of overdoses, and to reach out to school districts to make them aware of available resources for obtaining Narcan.

The motion instructs the agencies to conduct general community outreach and education efforts using "traditional and social media, as well as engaging with ethnic and local media for culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach."

Through mid-July of last year, fatal drug overdoses among Los Angeles teens was up more than 330 percent, according to the Los Angeles County Department Public Health. Recently, the California Department of Public Health found that Fentanyl-related overdose deaths in California's youth ages 10-19 years spiked by 625 percent. The state saw 261 fentanyl-related overdose deaths among youths in 20201 up from 36 in 2018.

In many of these cases, the victims were unaware they are ingesting fentanyl. The cheap, potent and highly addictive substance is used to lace everything from methamphetamine to opioids, ecstasy, marijuana, and painkillers such as Percocet. Los Angeles Unified School District officials warned parents that teens may be buying drugs online. According to the county health department, drugs purchased online are frequently laced with fentanyl.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be as much as 100 times stronger than morphine, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.

In many ways, the ease of access to fentanyl and its explosion on the local drug scene, caught schools, health officials, police and parents in Los Angeles unprepared.

SEE ALSO: Seventh Hollywood Teen Overdosed, Apparently From Fentanyl

Earlier this year, three teenage girls overdosed at a Santa Monica apartment while using with they thought was ecstasy purchased online.

There are steps families can take to reduce the risk of fatal fentanyl-related overdoses, according to the Los Angeles County Public Department of Health.

1. Have Narcan or Naloxone on hand. It can be purchased without a prescription at California pharmacies.
2. Never use drugs alone. Have a trusted person present as a safeguard in case of overdose. Anyone using drugs alone can call Never Use Alone at 1-800-484-3731 and an operator will remain on the line and will call emergency services if the user stops responding.
3. Test drugs before using them. Fentanyl test strips identify contaminated drugs. Although such test strips aren't 100 percent reliable, they can save lives if used correctly. You can purchase them affordably online at: BTNX,, Dose Test, Dance Safe, Wisebatch, or TACO.
4. Know the signs of an opioid overdose:

• Stupor or altered mental state
• Loss of consciousness
• Slowed or erratic heart rate
• Respiratory depression or failure
• Nausea or vomiting
• Pinpoint pupils
• Skin color changes
• Seizures
• Cold and clammy skin
• Muscle Spasms

City News Service contributed to this report.