Dr. Bains announces outreach efforts for Red Ribbon Week 2024

(Bakersfield, CA) October 17, 2024 – Dr. Jasmeet Bains (D-Delano) is kicking off a week of education and outreach to young people in Kern County to combat drugs for Red Ribbon Week, which runs from October 23 through October 31.

“I always prioritize Red Ribbon Week because education is essential to combat our growing drug crisis. Making sure our kids have access to vital information so we can keep them safe from street drugs is imperative for their future,” said Dr. Bains

Red Ribbon Week was founded by the National Family Partnership in 1985 in response to the brutal murder of DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Since then, Red Ribbon Week has grown into a national awareness campaign that spotlights the dangers of substance use and encourages local grassroots activities to educate youth and parents.

As part of the local effort, Dr. Bains will be visiting several schools, including Horace Mann Elementary School in Bakersfield, to talk to students about the peril and damage that drugs do using her background as a physician and an addiction specialist.

In addition to speaking directly to students, Dr. Bains’ office will distribute educational literature and pledge cards throughout Kern County. In total, 83 schools will receive materials for Red Ribbon Week.

Fighting illicit drugs has been a centerpiece of Dr. Bains’ career as a representative for Kern County in the California Legislature. In her full two-year first session, she passed laws that started a local and statewide fentanyl task force and brought millions of dollars in funding to enhance enforcement, provide quality outreach, and expand treatment options. She also made it easier to assist someone experiencing an overdose and cut red tape to give hospitals more options when treating substance use.

“Any effort, no matter how small, that can help even one young person say no to protect themselves or help one parent talk to their kids about how dangerous drugs are today is worth it,” said Dr. Bains.

“Today’s drugs are simply more deadly and more powerful, and the more education and outreach we can do, the better.”

In March of 2024, the Kern County Coroner’s Office reported an 18% increase from the previous year in fentanyl-related overdoses, from 252 deaths in 2022 to 297 deaths in 2023. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, since 2015, drug overdose deaths in California have increased from just over 4,500 in a year to a shocking 11,774 reported overdose deaths in 2023.

“The shift from plant-based drugs, like heroin and cocaine, to synthetic, chemical-based drugs, like fentanyl and methamphetamine, has resulted in the most dangerous and deadly drug crisis the United States has ever faced,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram in an official release on the 2024 DEA National Drug Thread Assessment from May of this year.

More information on Red Ribbon Week, including how to get involved, can be found here: https://www.redribbon.org/

More information from Kern County Public Health on behavioral health and recovery services is available here: https://www.kernbhrs.org/services/substance-use

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