SafeRx Santa Cruz County

SafeRx is a local substance use safety coalition comprised of education, social service, government, behavioral health, and healthcare organizations dedicated to aligning and accelerating best practices for opioids and other substances, as well as current best practice guidelines to reduce death. SafeRx works towards a healthy, thriving, safe, equitable Santa Cruz County through prevention, increased treatment access (particularly with proven-effective and promising medications for treating substance use), and evidence-based, harm reduction practices, to improve community well-being and save lives.

SafeRx was originally brought together with funding from the California Health Care Foundation in November of 2015 to decrease opioid-related misuse and deaths by focusing on three federal priority areas:

Safer prescribing practices
Improved access to medication-assisted substance use disorder treatment
Increased availability of overdose reversal medication (Naloxone, Narcan®)

Today, SafeRx is maintained through funding from the California Department of Public Health’s Fentanyl Overdose Prevention Grant, Opioid Settlement Funds, and California’s State Opioid Response YOR project. Rooted in the unique concept of opioid failure (the medications have failed the patient; the patient has not failed the treatment), SafeRx continues to address the local opioid epidemic.

SafeRx Committees/Meetings

Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use Learning Collaborative

MAT Advisory Group
We invite all interested healthcare providers to join the MAT Advisory Group.

Annual Drug Trends Meeting

Perinatal MAT-AG Subgroup

Tri-County Collaborative (Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Monterey Counties)

saferx Resources

Overdose Prevention Training and Capacity Building

For non-profits and CBOs, etc.

Training & technical assistance
NDP Toolkit

For local business

Community Naloxone Project
- Narcan and/or Harm Reduction Training (virtual or in-person)
- Narcan Distribution (Pop-ups)

Overdose Prevention Training

Opioids & Fentanyl 101
What’s Happening Today (Data Review)
Youth & Opioids
Using Narcan to Save a Life*
Harm Reduction 101

Provider Resources

Listed below are clinical and educational resources for healthcare providers to enhance clinical practice and empower patients to play a major role in their healthcare. We encourage members of all healthcare sectors to explore these resources and take advantage of any and all opportunities to improve your organization/health center/practice.

Community Resources

Let’s Talk: Navigating Youth Substance Use in Santa Cruz County

“Let’s Start Talking” and “Let’s Talk” are resources for parents and caregivers on how to support youth around the topics of mental health and substance use. The booklets were adapted from Marin Healthy Youth Partnership’s booklets of the same name by the Central Coast Overdose Prevention Coalition (Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties).

Let’s Start Talking Middle School Booklet
Let’s Talk High School Booklet

Hablemos: Navegar por el Consumo de Sustancias de los Adolescentes en el Condado de Santa Cruz

“Empecemos Nuestra Charla” y “Hablemos” son recursos para padres y cuidadores sobre cómo apoyar a los adolescentes sobre los temas de la salud mental y consumo de sustancias. Los folletos se adaptaron de los folletos del mismo nombre de Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships por la Coalición de Prevenir las Sobredosis en la Costa Central (Condados de Santa Cruz, Monterey, y San Benito).

Empecemos Nuestra Charla Folleto de la Escuela Media
Hablemos Folleto de la Escuela Secundaria

Resources for youth and families grieving loved ones, Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT), and Spanish speakers

See this link for our padlet with resources for youth and families, healthcare providers, grieving loved ones, and to learn information about Medication for Addiction Treatment (MAT), and resources for Spanish speakers. All resources are also available in Spanish.
See resources here

About the Epidemic

Santa Cruz County Opioid Safety Data Report

Since the late 1990s, opioid use has skyrocketed across America. Provisional data from CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics indicate there were an estimated 107,622 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2021. Almost no other cause of death in America has increased so rapidly.

Learn More

Medications and Sharps Resources

Please utilize this link, as it provides a comprehensive list of safe disposal sites for medications and sharps across Santa Cruz County, detailing accepted and non-accepted items, along with addresses, contact information, and available disposal services at each location.

Resource List

Education Materials

Learning About Pain Resources for Patients & their Providers

NALOXONE (NARCAN®) ACCESS

Naloxone (brand name Narcan®) is a life-saving FDA-approved medication that is used to reverse the effects of overdoses from opioids such as heroin, fentanyl, oxycodone, and morphine

Learn the signs of an overdose and how to respond to save someone’s life.

Understand the dangers of fentanyl and what precautions you can take.

ACCESO A LA NALOXONA (NARCAN®)

La naloxona (nombre comercial Narcan®) es un medicamento aprobado por la FDA que salva vidas y que se usa para revertir los efectos de las sobredosis de opioides como la heroína, el fentanilo, la oxicodona, y la morfina.

Aprenda los signos de una sobredosis y cómo responder para salvar la vida de alguien.

Entienda los peligrosos de fentanilo y cuáles son las precauciones que usted puede tomar.