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GUEST COLUMN: DETECT TO PROTECT AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOCUSES PUBLIC ATTENTION ON DRUG OVERDOSES

By Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz

The Erie County Department of Health recently launched a harm reduction media campaign called Detect to Protect. It was created to reach local residents who are at risk for drug overdoses and death as well as to communicate with their family members, friends, and co-workers to support harm reduction messaging.

The campaign focuses on the rise of fentanyl-related overdoses involving cocaine, the disproportionate impact we are seeing in communities of color, and the fact that this is overwhelmingly occurring among older residents of Erie County. Despite what some may think, overdose deaths locally are not limited to younger people who live in the City of Buffalo. We continue to receive reports of overdose incidents happening throughout Western New York, including but not limited to Alden, Amherst, Blasdell, Clarence, Cheektowaga, Depew, Evans, Gowanda, Grand Island, Hamburg, Kenmore, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Orchard Park, Springville, Tonawanda and West Seneca.

This is a topic that makes some people uncomfortable, but it is a community conversation that needs to take place. The latest statistics provided by the Erie County Department of Health show that nearly seven out of 10 local opioid overdose deaths involved cocaine. To put it simply, the party has changed. There is no such thing as a “safe” drug to use. This is why we are encouraging those who do use drugs to test them, especially cocaine. We also want people to carry Narcan and never use drugs alone to help avoid having anyone becoming a statistic of our Medical Examiner’s Office. Throughout the first six months of this year, our county Health Department has distributed over 23,000 Narcan kits. Anyone can order fentanyl test strips and Narcan by visiting www.erie.gov/detect or by sending a text message to 716-225-5473.

Detect to Protect is a campaign that features people who live in Erie County. Our hope is that other community members will absorb the information and then want to help spread the word. Erie County is full of good people who care about one another. It is our goal to work collaboratively so that people from all walks of life will help protect themselves and others by spreading the word to increase awareness and incentivize everyone to be part of addressing this serious health crisis. We have also constructed a social media toolkit with impactful messages and graphics that community organizations and individuals can easily access.

You will see the campaign in print advertisements as well as through targeted broadcast, digital and paid social media ads that are scheduled to run through the end of 2025. I ask you to help spread the word about Detect to Protect as we continue with our comprehensive efforts to reduce drug overdoses and end overdose deaths.

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