New Tool Against Opioid Overdoses

By Jondi Gumz

In 2021, Contra Costa County reported a pilot project for paramedics to provide buprenorphine — medication for addiction treatment — to patients in withdrawal from opioid use saved more lives.

The pilot project was the first in the nation, and now this new service is available in Santa Cruz County, which has seen opioid overdoses spike upward.

Dr. David Ghilarducci, Santa Cruz County EMS Medical Director and Deputy Health Officer, instigated this initiative in the fall of 2022.

“I felt we needed to be proactive in addressing widespread addiction,” he said via email to Aptos Times. “We frequently treat persons either in overdose or in withdrawal. While we have great tools (Narcan) to reverse overdoses when they happen, we, heretofore, had little to offer for those in withdrawal and wishing to break their cycle of addiction.”

He added, “EMS cannot be everywhere all the time and ultimately I feel we have a role in preventing the next overdose. This is an opportunity for our paramedics to start the recovery process in the first minutes of a crisis.”

In Santa Cruz County, accidental drug overdose deaths have increased from 32 in 2017 to 95 in 2021 and 98 in 2022 with 66 so far this year.

Suspected overdoses have jumped from 14 to 40 per month in 2020 to 32 to 86 per month in 2022.

On July 13, Santa Cruz County Emergency Medical Services launched the program, which Ghilarduci said is “heavily supported” by Dr. Gail Newel and Dr. Lisa Hernandez in their role as county health officer.

Ghilarducci explained that Contra Costa County started the program under a rarely used state EMS process called “trial study” which requires study parameters, data collection and ethics board oversight and approval from the State EMS Commission.

“The Santa Cruz EMS agency is minimally staffed and a trial study was not feasible,” he added.

Based on the positive responses from Contra Costa County, Ghilarducci and colleagues successfully lobbied the EMSA in September to allow this to be done under “local optional scope of practice,” which requires a special application but is less onerous than a trial study.

Along with Monterey and San Benito counties, Santa Cruz County applied in December and got approval shortly thereafter.

The remaining months were spent on logistics, grant funding and training. One unexpected delay was due to a challenge of obtaining the large startup quantities of Buprenorphine from the pharmaceutical suppliers.

“Overdose Prevention” page 9

Deadline on Opioid Funds Input: August

4

The Santa Cruz County Health Services Agency is gathering community feedback on how to best use the opioid settlement funds to treat and reduce the impacts of the opioid crisis locally. The County of Santa Cruz and cities in the county will receive an estimated $26 million over the next 18 years. The initial deadline to complete this survey at bit.ly/OSF_SCZ is Friday, Aug. 4. RDA Consulting was selected to assist with this process and help facilitate inperson and virtual townhall meetings in English and Spanish.

Girl Scout Day Camp

“Natalia Aandewiel” from page 6

They were embraced by Peter’s brother John and his wife Modelle, who for years led Medical Ambassadors International, and their son Josh and his wife Sarean.

Natalia’s family includes her mother, Olga Ziniak, an obstetrician-gynecologist in her homeland, her father Vasyl, an engineer who started the Ukrainian Helpline, sister Yeva, who is 12, and brother Sava, who is 8.

Vasyl initially could not join them in Poland because of the Ukrainian requirement that all men stay and fight the Russians.

But he is here now.

The family has been in the U.S. for one year and four months, surviving one of the worst winter rainstorms ever.

They were living in a house on Glenwood when the storm topped trees which trapped them temporarily.

“We’ve moved six times already,” Natalia said.

Natalia’s siblings did not speak Engllsh when they first arrived — “now they speak better than me,” Natalia said.

John and Modelle introduced them to Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, and the family discovered Twin Lakes School, which provided a scholarship.

The school had an opening in second grade for Sava, but no opening in sixth grade for Yeva.

Miraculously, a seat became available, and brother and sister attended Twin Lakes together.

Last year, Natalia heard about the Capitola Plein Air Festival last November — she loves to paint outdoor scenes outside — and she connected with Laurie Hill, who runs the festival.

“Natalia lit up my heart when I met her and her family,” Hill said.

Their conversations led to Hill proposing Ukrainian Art in the Park to the Capitola Arts and Cultural Commission, which readily agreed to the new cultural event.

Natalia connected her with Ukrainian artists and the nonprofit Ukrainian Steppe.

Arts commissioner Mary Beth Cahalen is coordinating music and dance at the event.

Two weeks ago, Natalia and her family moved into a home near Cabrillo College. They are discovering places like Caroline’s and the Cabrillo Farmer’s Market.

Both Natalia and her father have cancer.

Her father’s diagnosis enabled him to come to the U.S. for medical treatment, and he spent Christmas, reunited with his family.

Natalia was diagnosed with lymphoma in January. She has finished all 12 chemotherapy treatments.

She feels fortunate to be alive.

She knows others her age who were killed in the war and others who lost arms or legs.

Whether her family will ever be able to return, no one knows.

Still, she has her painting of the Ukrainian dancers — ”it makes me feel like home.” n

•••

Ukrainian Art in the Park Sunday Aug. 26 • Noon to 6 p.m.

Esplanade Park, Capitola • Free

Presented by Capitola Arts and Cultural Commission

Art by: Natalia Aandewiel, Lyna Couture clothing by Halyna, Leon Okun, who studied at St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Kassandra Struk, Lyudmina Kirrilova, Mykola Kulish wood art, Yeva Ziniak dance, macaroons from Sugar Bakery, Ukrainian Steppe, which offers min-tutorials on YouTube, and the local chapter of the Ukrainian National Women League of America