Federal grant will help Dona Ana County address opioid abuse

Officials within Dona Ana County are stepping up efforts to prevent opioid related deaths.

Numbers from the state show Dona Ana county ranks 4th out of 33 counties in New Mexico for the highest number of opiod related deaths.

ABC-7 has learned the county received a federal grant, administered by the state, to address the issue. Health and Human Services Director Jamie Michael said Dona Ana County will receive, on average, $90,000 a year for four years.

Michael said she hopes some of that money can go toward providing families and caregivers with Narcan, a nasal spray that can be used when an individual is experiencing an overdose.

“It’s a life saving immediate intervention for people experiencing an overdose,” Michael said.

Another step will be opioid use prevention.

ABC-7 spoke with a woman who says she suffers from an opioid addiction. She talked about the impact it has had on her life.

“I am currently struggling with it,” she said. “I’m ashamed of it.”

Michael will give a presentation about opioid addiction at an upcoming Dona Ana County Commission meeting on April 11.

The topic of addiction comes as city and county officials are participating in a two day “life and wellness” summit.

The purpose is so officials can best decide how to spend money they received from leasing Memorial Medical Center. Officials say the money must specifically go toward health needs.