Las Vegas, NV (KXNT) - As deaths from overdoses in Clark County have increased by 34 percent in 2020, the Southern Nevada Health District will distribute fentanyl test strips to the public and provide education and information to community partners so they can distribute them as well.
The fentanyl test strips are available through the Health District’s pharmacy located at 280 S. Decatur Blvd. The test strips include easy-to-follow instructions and are similar to reading an at-home pregnancy test. A study conducted by Johns Hopkins and Brown University found that test strips were accurate and easy to use.
In addition to being able to detect small amounts of fentanyl, test strips meet an important public health need. People who inject drugs have expressed interest in having their drugs checked for fentanyl.
- Statewide Nevada saw a 55% increase in fatal overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020.
- Statewide overdoses among those younger than 25 years nearly tripled from 2019 to 2020.
- In Clark County deaths increased from 418 deaths in 2019 to 560 in 2020. This increase is primarily driven by illicit fentanyl.
- The number of deaths involving fentanyl deaths among Clark County residents increased from 81 in 2019 to 193 in 2020.
“The availability of fentanyl test strips is another step in our comprehensive harm reduction strategy,” said Elizabeth Adelman, Communicable Disease Supervisor, for the Southern Nevada Health District. “This program can also serve as an opening to connect people to additional life-saving resources.”