Deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Juvenile Intervention Team, (J-Team) held their second virtual “Java with the J-Team” Thursday to discuss drug overdoses, officials said.

https://www.facebook.com/SantaClaritaValleySheriffsStation/videos/660125884881899/

With drug overdoses on the rise in Santa Clarita partially due to more and more drugs, including marijuana, being laced with fentanyl, J-Team deputies discussed signs of an overdose and what to do to assist in life-saving measures.

Signs that an individual may have recently overdosed include them foaming from the mouth, vomiting or unresponsive, said Deputy Nelson with the J-Team.

Any individuals who may come across a user suffering from an overdose before first responders arrive on scene are encouraged to help that person before official help arrives.

“You can go up to them, shake them, try to get their attention,” Nelson said. “You can even press your knuckle from your middle finger into their chest to try to get them to wake up.”

It is also important to make sure their airwave is open, and if they are not breathing call 9-1-1 immediately and start CPR.

For Santa Clarita residents who either live or are in areas on a regular basis where overdoses are common, deputies are urging them to purchase Narcan, an over-the-counter drug that is used to help reverse the effects of an overdose.

If you are with someone who overdoses and report it, deputies are urging you to stay on scene until help arrives.

“When us as deputies respond to these overdoses, it’s very important that if you call it in you stay on scene,” said Albert White, a deputy assigned to the J-Team.

The reason for that is you may have seen something that could help first responders give the individual suffering from an overdose the proper help, whether it is providing information on what drug the patient may have been using or how they administered the drug.

“We’ve seen kids that overdose on vapes too, from allergic reactions,” White said.

Deputies also want to know if the overdose was accidental or intentional, so they can help provide proper assistance to the victim, according to Sheriff’s officials.

Another very important aspect to preventing drug overdoses is parent involvement.

Deputies are challenging parents to be more proactive in checking their children’s phone and social media accounts, to be aware of what they are doing and where they are going when parents are not around their children.

“I know we’re in a time right now where kids are learning from home, but do you know where they are going in the 30 minutes when they are on the way to their friends house? Are they stopping at the vape shop, are they stopping at the park to make a deal? That is bestowed on you, not us, to intervene to find resources for your child,” White said.

Even with youth being able to put locks on their phones, deputies are reminding parents that it does not mean you can’t have access to their phones.

“We really need to be involved in our kids lives,” Nelson said. “I’ve had a lot of parents say ‘they have a passcode on their phone, I’m not allowed to get into it, that’s their privacy.’ That is incorrect, you’re their parent, make sure you are knowing what is going on in their lives. I think we have gotten away from that a little bit, and we need to know what is going on in their life and who they are talking to and who they are hanging out with and where they are going at all times.”

Although it could be tough for individuals who have drug addictions to admit they have a problem, a recovering drug addict is urging you to reach out and get them the help you have available to get sober.

Santa Clarita adults suffering from drug addiction who want help can contact The Way Out Recovery SCV by calling 661-296-4444.

Youth looking for drug and mental health assistance can call the Insight Treatment Program at 888-295-9995.

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