Already Saving Lives Overdose Prevention & Narcan Distribution in West Marin West Marin Community Response Team by Seamus Tomkins & Michele McCourtney The leading cause of death in Marin County for people aged 55 and under being accidental overdose. Marin County Health and Human Services along with the community response teams throughout the County have focused their attention on overdose prevention through Narcan distribution. Fentanyl is responsible for most deaths, especially for those under age 25, and sadly, we have lost a few Valley and West Marin residents to accidental overdoses involving Fentanyl. This is why it is more important than ever that Narcan is readily available to our community members and local businesses. The West Marin Community Response Team has distributed Narcan to over 40 partner organizations and local businesses and over 250 Narcan units to West Marin residents.We have also installed 24 hour access boxes across West Marin, where individuals can access Narcan for outdoor locations at any time. Through our efforts alone, we know of six lives that have been saved from accidental over- dose. This reinforces the importance of getting Narcan out into our communities to help save lives. Narcan is a live-saving F.D.A.-approved medication used to reverse the effects of overdoses from opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, morphine and oxycodone. It is easily administered as a nasal spray and comes with two in a kit. Given the strength of the opioids circulating right now, it can take more than one kit to reverse the effects of an overdose. In fact, it can take up to two or more kits to reverse an overdose, so make sure you have at least two boxes or four kits on hand. Whether or not this hits close to home or not, everyone should have Narcan on hand. You may be thinking this does not affect you or your family, but public health and community based organizations have found that the opioid epidemic affects all of us. Many overdose reversals are administered by family or friends, but many are also administered by bystanders. Narcan is a medication that every business, organization and individual should keep in their first aid kit, as its ability to save a life is so profound. Considering how prevalent opioids are in our communities, please consider keeping a few on hand.
West Marin Community Services M-F 9am-5pm - Upon request 11431 Hwy 1, Suite 10 Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
West Marin Health Human Services M-F 9am-5pm - Narcan vending machine inside building 1 6th St, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Outdoor Narcan Boxes with 24 Hour-Access *Outside the following locations. Please take as many as you need, but at least two boxes.
Point Reyes Pharmacy 11 4th St, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 Inverness Fire Station 50 Inverness Way, Inverness, CA 94937
Bolinas Community Center 14 Wharf Rd, Bolinas, CA 94924
San Geronimo Valley Community Center 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. San Geronimo, CA 94963
The current locations for free Narcan are:
San Geronimo Valley Community Center M-F 9am-5pm - Upon request 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. San Geronimo, CA 94963 San Geronimo Commons Thursdays 11am-2pm at the drive-thru food bank
5800 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. San Geronimo, CA 94963
Narcan Box at the Community Center
Best Information Resources During An Emergency
On the Web The best site for overall Marin conditions is at emergency.marincounty.org . There you’ll find updates and mapping of incidents in Marin along with official guidance from emergency managers. Pulse Point Respond is a easy to use, mobile application that delivers surprisingly timely alerts and updates about local incidents including which public safety units are involved. Another app - Watch Duty provides wildfire mapping and real-time updates that are carefully vetted digests of radio transmissions by responders. Social Media Various sites on X formerly Twitter can be a useful source of timely updates if authored by public safety- i.e. Marin Sheriff, CHP, Marin Office of Emergency Management. Of course, use caution relying on neighbors posting unconfirmed info. Likewise, Facebook , Instagram , and NextDoor may have timely but inaccurate posts (which can contribute to poor decisions) Best to take unconfirmed reports with a good dose of skepticism. Phones Landline phones are a useful backup in power outages and cell tower disruption but some telecommunication companies locally are working to eliminate this ser- vice. Cell phones can be effective depending upon the integrity of the tower locally for transmission. The texting option may remain even if voice calling is disrupted. Satellite phones are expensive to use but do provide worldwide coverage and access to communications in remote areas.
Here is a list of some of our favorite go-to information resources for emergencies affecting West Marin.
On your radio KWMR (92.3 FM in the San Geronimo Valley) can be an excellent source for relevant local updates. Use your car radio if need be. KCBS 740 AM is an official emergency broadcaster for our area but updates are Bay Area-wide. More specialized radio Family Radio Service (FRS) walkie talkies connect village neighbors throughout the SGV. More powerful GMRS radios connect the Valley with other West Marin communities and Marin County Fire via mountain top repeaters. New operators are welcome by the way! Contact www. SGVerg.org for details. HAM/Amateur Radio Service units require a license & exam but offer operators access to worldwide digital and analog communication. These radios have plenty of power and operators tend to be well-disciplined making the information more reliable.
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