•IN MEMORIAM• PELATIA TRUJILLO

Albuquerque lost a bright light in April, when Pelatia Trujillo was killed in a car accident. Pelatia founded D.O.P. E. (Dedicated Outreach and Prevention Education) Services to fight for harm reduction and healthcare in the face of homelessness and drug addiction. Enrique Cardiel, a community organizer in the International District, shared his thoughts on this loss with us.

“I met Pelatia Trujillo during interviews for Director of the Health Equity Council (HEC). Her energy and passion were apparent right from the beginning. She was a champion harm reductionist through and through. Her work at the Health Council showed that. She trained the detention center, law enforcement, and so many more in the use of Narcan; we have no way of knowing how many lives Pelatia saved by training people. A coworker and I helped to reverse an overdose just a few weeks after she trained us.

“Pelatia shaped the culture of harm reduction at HEC, and in many ways for Bernalillo County, while also parenting and working full-time. She founded D.O.P.E. Services and always maintained her warm and energetic spirit. She advocated for social justice, and the just treatment of all people, throughout her time with us.

“We can all learn from Pelatia’s tenacity in figuring out how to support a community dealing with substance-use issues, social stigma, and challenging lives. It is an example we will try to live up to at HEC. She was a good friend and an amazing colleague who will be missed by so many people.”