Combating youth overdoses through strong partnerships: Arizona’s statewide fentanyl awareness initiative

With the number of youth overdoses and deaths continuing to climb during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Arizona Administration Office of the Courts (AOC) partnered with the Arizona High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) and initiated the statewide Juvenile Justice Fentanyl Awareness Training Project in 2022 to prevent and reduce youth fentanyl overdoses and deaths. 

Training focused on life-saving information for youth and parents about the risks of fentanyl, the importance of naloxone and its use, and Arizona's Good Samaritan law. Piloted in Yuma County, the training project was proven successful by showing zero justice-involved youth deaths due to a fentanyl overdose with the project's launch. Since the training project's inception, the AOC partnered with various stakeholders representing local and state agencies.

This webinar will feature Arizona's Juvenile Justice Fentanyl Awareness Training Project and include representatives from the Arizona AOC and Yuma County to provide an extensive overview of the practical skills used to build strong partnerships and momentum across the state's 15 counties. Panelists will also discuss the development of their training project's customizable toolkit which includes individual curriculums for youth and parents.

Attendees will learn about a learning collaborative launching this fall for jurisdictions interested in developing similar awareness initiatives at the local or state level, focused on reducing and preventing youth substance use, overdoses, and deaths.

Moderator:

• Nora Sydow, managing director, NCSC

Panelists:

• Joseph Kelroy, juvenile justice services division director, Arizona Supreme Court
• Tiffany Rankin, detention services supervisor, Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center
• Steve Selover, program manager, Arizona Supreme Court

Register today

For more information, contact Miguel Trujillo.