13 October 2023
EL DORADO, Kan. (KSNW) — The community of El Dorado is concerned about opioid and fentanyl use. The El Dorado Opioid Task Force held a town hall meeting to help community members understand the signs of overdosing and how to use Narcan.
One of the biggest challenges is the lack of education on the dangers of fentanyl. The El Dorado Police Department says people may be unaware of drugs being laced with opioids.
The task force is made up of police officers and organizations like South Central Mental Health, who help people battling addiction. The head of the task force is the Chief of Police, Mike Holton.
One counselor from another addiction recovery organization in El Dorado, Seventh Direction, says the problem is the worst she’s seen in 20 years. She has been helping others with their recovery.
Seventh Direction is working alongside the task force in hopes of saving lives.
Since 2018, there have been at least a dozen cases of fentanyl-related overdose deaths in El Dorado alone.
“I hate seeing people die,” said Cynthia Arnold, a licensed addiction counselor at Seventh Direction Treatment Center.
She says she sees over 35 people weekly who are in need of opioid or fentanyl-related recovery.
“It’s alarming to see how many people are overdosing. People know that, when they come in, they’ll tell me that, ya, I’ve died five times,” said Arnold.
She has been in recovery herself for more than 20 years, a big reason she decided to help others fight the same battle.
“Knowing that, having those experiences, and being able to help people if they decide that’s what they want to do, because a lot of times they don’t have any idea how to start the process,” said Arnold.
At the town meeting hosted by the task force, vouchers for Narcan and fentanyl testing strips will be provided to community members in attendance. The El Dorado Police Department says that having members of their town be prepared in a case where there might be an overdose can save lives.
“Any death is too many. One death is too many, so what we want to do is stay out ahead of this. We want to try and educate people. You know this task force is about saving lives,” said Head of the El Dorado Opioid Task Force, Mike Holton.
South Central Mental Health’s role on the task force is to help save as many lives in the future as possible. They are able to refer those who may need a certain recovery program or a sober living facility to the right place.
“Addiction is a chronic disease, and it’s progressive, and if we can help one person here, then we’ve made an impact on an entire person, their family and everyone else,” said Shannon Stabler, substance-use treatment program director of South Central Mental Health.