On Wednesday, August 29 the City of Santa Clarita held a special meeting to update the public on the issue of heroin in our Valley. One year ago, the City started an outreach campaign, Heroin Kills: The High is a Lie, in response to a spike in heroin related deaths and arrests in the Santa Clarita Valley. The public awareness campaign was meant to inform residents that heroin was in Santa Clarita and devastating families.
One year later, heroin still has a deadly presence in Santa Clarita. Since the original symposium, at least seven fatalities have been recorded from heroin alone, with other related fatal overdoses occurring from the prescription opiate based drug Oxycontin.
Heroin Kills: One Year Later featured a panel of experts who told residents what they need to know to protect themselves and loved ones from the perils of heroin. The program featured a resource fair, with the main program including speakers Mayor Frank Ferry, SCV Sheriff’s Captain Paul Becker, local emergency physician Dr. Darrin Privett, counseling and recovery expert Cary Quashen, Coordinator of Student Services for the William S. Hart Union School District Kathy Hunter, Tim Traurig from A Light of Hope and others who were on the front lines of the war on Heroin in Santa Clarita.
photos courtesy City of Santa Clarita