By KERI BRENNER | kbrenner@marinij.com | Marin Independent Journal For the first time, the Tamalpais Union High School District interrupted classes this week for all 5,000 of its students at five high schools to deliver an important message. The message, relayed in a 45-minute districtwide webinar screened mid-morning on Thursday, was simple, but ominous: “Any pill, even if you…
Know what’s in your drugs Tranq or xylzine is a non-opioid drug that can slow down the nervous system. It can make breathing and heart rate slower. When tranq is mixed with another drug like heroin, fentanyl or a benzo, it can increase the risk of overdose. In case of overdose, know what to do…
OD Free Marin and Marin Suicide Prevention Collaborative invite you to a one hour webinar about fentanyl that includes lived experience speakers such as a substance use navigator working at the Marin Health Emergency Department and experts in the field. The program connects National Fentanyl Awareness Day and May Mental Health Month. This Zoom event will…
By KERRI BRENNER / Marin Independent Journal Marin County is set to receive $800,000 annually for nine years from a settlement with pharmaceutical companies, officials said this week. The county, which has an average of one resident dying from an accidental drug overdose almost every week, will use the money to expand Marin’s overdose prevention…
By Richard Halstead rhalstead@marinij.com Marin officials are hoping that analysis of local wastewater will become an effective tool in addressing a surge of drug overdoses in the county, just as it was in stemming the spread of COVID-19. In early February, the Marin public health office began testing samples collected weekly at the Central Marin…
By: Nikki Silverstein | Jan 31, 2023 Trevor Leopold would have turned 22 on Jan. 30. Instead, he’s “forever 18,” his mother says. When Greenbrae resident Michelle Leopold received the news that her 18-year-old son died in his Sonoma State University dorm room, she didn’t need to wait for the coroner’s report to know what…
Helping those you care about during challenging times TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 5:30-7:00 PM at the Mill Valley COMMUNITY CENTER (free event) Heart of the Village in partnership with the Marin County Suicide Prevention Collaborative invites you to join in this unique, transformative experience. An evening of discussion and role playing on peer-to-peer support with mental…
BY ALEX N. GECANAGECAN@MARINIJ.COM Marin County has opened its emergency shelter for homeless residents as a series of storms descends on the Bay Area. Emergency agencies have begun passing out sandbags and warning residents in low-lying areas that more flooding could be on the way. A flood watch will be in effect from Friday evening…
Names are read at annual San Rafael remembrance By Richard Halstead rhalstead@marinij.com Marin’s homeless community paused this week to remember those who died while living on the streets. A memorial hosted by the San Rafael-based Street Chaplaincy held Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael featured a reading of the names of 21 people…
By Keri Brenner kbrenner@marinij.com More than 250 Marin County activists, health officials, addiction counselors and people in recovery have joined forces to reduce the number of drug overdose deaths next year, particularly deaths involving the synthetic opioid fentanyl. “Our first step is stop the bleed, to flatten the curve,” Dr. Matt Willis, the county’s public…