Dear community member,
Drug overdoses and fentanyl poisoning are now the third leading cause of pediatric deaths in the United States, according to Kristen O’Connor, RN, Addiction Program Director at Santa Cruz Community Health (SCCH). Amidst rising concerns among parents, health providers and educators in our community, Santa Cruz Community Health, Santa Cruz County Office of Education and local school districts will co-host a free community viewing of “Fentanyl High,” a powerful documentary film produced by LC2 Productions and directed by Kyle Santoro, a senior at Los Gatos High School.
The documentary “Fentanyl High” delves into the opioid crisis, offering an intimate exploration of its complexities through the perspectives and firsthand experiences of high school students, as captured in candid interviews.
The film will be screened on Thursday, May 2nd at 6:30 pm at the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz. Admission is free, registration is required and space is limited. Attendance by teens, ideally with their families, is encouraged. Immediately following the screening, there will be a discussion panel featuring the student filmmaker, local professionals, and high school peers. Families will leave the event with concrete steps for both prevention and support around this issue. Attendees will receive ‘Let’s Talk’ booklets, a toolkit for navigating teen substance use for parents and caregivers and tip sheets identifying the signs of an overdose. School nurses will be distributing free Naloxone (Narcan), a life saving medication, after the screening.
Through this event, it is our hope to raise awareness about the devastating impact of fentanyl poisoning, and to empower teens and their families with information and actionable steps to prevent and address this urgent issue. We will continue to make resources available and are planning an additional film screening in Watsonville in May. Digital copies of the “Let’s Talk” booklets are linked here in English and Spanish.
We invite you and your teen to join us at this important event. Please register here for free tickets: https://sccoe.link/FH2024.
Yours in education and equity,
Dr. Faris Sabbah
County Superintendent of Schools