Mendocino County, once ranked first in California for opioid-related deaths, has seen a significant improvement, now ranking 10th among counties statewide. This decline mirrors broader trends, with statewide drug overdose deaths falling 17% from 2022-2023 to 2023-2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Nationally, overdose deaths fell 19% during the same period, the CDC reports.
Dr. Cara Eberhardt, an addiction medicine specialist at Adventist Health, credits several evidence-based interventions for the local improvement. “Increasing treatment access, particularly to medications like buprenorphine and methadone, has been critical,” said Eberhardt. “These treatments can reduce opioid use disorder morbidity and mortality by about 50%. " She also cited expanded Narcan distribution and public health campaigns.
State and national experts, including the DEA, suggest that a decrease in the potency of illegally manufactured fentanyl could also be contributing to the declining death rates. The DEA has reported a rise in less potent fentanyl pills, which may reduce the risk of fatal overdoses.
In Mendocino County, community efforts complement these broader trends. Organizations like Fort Bragg’s Care Response Unit and SafeRx Mendocino, along with individuals such as retired nurse and recovery advocate Marji Brunelle, have focused on distributing overdose reversal kits and educating the public about the state’s Good Samaritan Law. The law, which took effect in 2013, offers legal protections for those who report overdoses, even if they are using drugs themselves.
“Stigma and fear of legal repercussions still deter people from calling 911 during overdoses,” Brunelle said. “If more people knew about the amnesty provisions, it would save lives.”
Brunelle has made it her mission to spread awareness by handing out flyers and Narcan kits across Northern California. Her efforts target high-risk groups, including individuals transitioning out of incarceration. “This population has a higher rate of relapse and overdose due to reduced tolerance,” she explained.
The decline in deaths in Mendocino, California, and around the nation underscore the need for multipronged approaches to address health challenges such as the opioid epidemic, combining access to information with access to life-saving medications, along with decreased potency of street drugs and other fatal catalysts.
