The South Bay Families Connected Opioid Awareness project, launched in 2017, aims to reduce the stigma by increasing community-wide awareness that opioid abuse, addiction and accidental overdose can happen even in the most supportive families, and to the most loved and inspiring youth. In 2020, the project expanded to include education around Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 50 times stronger than heroin. We extend compassion and caring to the families who have lost a child due to fentanyl poisoning or opioid overdose. For instructions to view this page in Spanish, click on en Español.

Fentanyl Poisoning and Opioid Overdose Prevention

South Bay stories

• My Brother’s Struggle with Opioid Addiction…My Struggle with Parenting by Franca Stadvec

• Thoughts From an Addict’s Little Sister by Breanna Strand

• OMG! We Just Sent Our Baby to the Wilderness by anonymous

• Part I: The Strand Family Shares Their Story by Cyndi Strand

• Part II: The Strand Family Shares Their Story by Cyndi Strand

• Part III: The Strand Family Shares Their Story by Cyndi Strand

• Our Kids and Opioids: It’s Time to Talk - photos and an overview of our 2018 event

  
  

Parents and caregivers can make a difference - Take aways from our events

SBFC and its community partners have held numerous free education events featuring a screening of Dead on Arrival followed by an expert panel discussion (video provided here), as well as Come Back Home, films by Dominic Tierno and Christine Wood.

How can you help protect your family and prevent the loss of life due to fentanyl poisoning? We encourage all parents and caregivers to watch the panel discussion and the documentary with their children (just click on the images), and consider asking your children the following questions:

• “What did you learn about fentanyl?”

• “What would you say to a friend of yours who was planning on using a substance that might be laced with fentanyl?”

• “What would you say to a friend of yours who was offering you a substance they swore was safe?”

• “What could you do to share this film and this message with your friends?”

  (source for questions: Natural High):

Educators can consider accessing the Natural High Fentanyl Film Screening Guide and a Fentanyl Lesson Plan.

For statistics and resources from Beach Cities Health District, our partner in these events, please visit the Beach Cities Health District fentanyl page.

What you need to know

Have the conversation and share the facts

• Talk with your kids about the dangers of fentanyl

  • Utilize the PDF below (provided in English and Spanish) from You Think You Know and Natural High on how to talk with your kids about fentanyl. Click on any image to enlarge it.

  • NH also offers helpful fentanyl fact sheets.

• Share the facts:

• Educate your children about what to do in an emergency: always call 911. Know your rights are protected. In the state of California, the Good Samaritan Law falls under California Health and Safety Code Section 1799.102. This law states that when a person renders emergency care and acts in good faith without expecting compensation, they won’t be held liable for their acts or omissions.

• Maintain a supply of Naloxone in your home.

  • Watch our video with Jim Sanborn (above) for instructions for use from Dr. Mary Eno.

  • Visit the National Institute of Health’s website, DrugAbuse.Gov for information on Naloxone.

  • Access the website The Real Deal on Fentanyl for facts, ways to reduce risk and lessons, including how to use naloxone.

• Know what’s trending

  • Visit DrugAbuse.Gov for up-to-date information on fentanyl.

Related Families Connected resources for parents and guardians

Resources for teens

Opioid Epidemic National Resources

Please note that that in the following sections, clicking on images will enlarge them, clicking on gray or blue buttons will take you to a different page in the Families Connected website and clicking on links will take you out of the Families Connected website and to the online resource indicated. When visiting other websites, the Families Connected website will remain open in your browser.

National articles

• Overdose Deaths Surged in Pandemic, as More Drugs were Laced with Fentanyl (NPR)

• Overdose Deaths Appear to Rise Amid Coronavirus Pandemic in the U.S. (NBC News)

• Sharp Rise in Drug Overdose Deaths Seen in First Few Months of the Pandemic (National Public Radio)

• The Opioid Crisis, Already Serious, Has Intensified During Coronavirus Pandemic (Wall Street Journal)

Gain insight into the national opioid abuse epidemic

Talk with youth to prevent opioid abuse

• This free downloadable PDF from SAMHSA provides advice to parents talking with teens about the dangers of prescription drug misuse, highlighting symptoms and risks (click on the image to access).

• SAMHSA provides a series of 13 fact sheets designed to increase awareness of the risks associated with prescription opioid use and misuse.

• National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the CDC: Centers for Disease Control Injury Prevention & Control: Opioid Overdose websites provide current information and statistics about the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic and background on state prescription drug monitoring programs.

Call to action

Dispose of your unwanted/unused medications. Here’s how:

• Remove pills and solid medications from their prescription containers and place them in a clear, sealable bag. Keep liquid and cream medications sealed in their original containers.

• Take medications to an authorized collection location or place them in a mail-back envelope or package for delivery to an authorized destruction location. Remove, black out, or scratch off your name and other personal information from prescription drug containers.

• Place empty pill bottles and other containers for solid medications in your household recycling bin.

• Visit CA.Gov for drop off locations by city.

  Know that help is available

• Substance Abuse Service Helpline (SASH): 1-844-804-7500

  For help call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) SAMSHA

Our 2018 South Bay Opioid Awareness Event

In the spring of 2018, the City of Manhattan Beach, then Mayor Amy Howorth, and South Bay Families Connected hosted a free community event entitled Our Kids and Opioids: It's Time to Talk (full event video available at left). The event included a panel discussion with Dr. Moe Gelbart, Executive Director of the Thelma McMillen Center, and Cyndi Strand, Founder of Blankets of Love South Bay.

The event was co-produced and moderated by Manhattan Beach Mayor, Amy Howorth. We are incredibly grateful to Amy for her passion on this subject, and for the message she shared with the hope of reducing stigma and sparking conversation.

The event was sponsored by The McMillen Family Foundation, whose donation to SBFC made this webpage and community outreach and engagement possible, and to Steel Partners Foundation for their support of the SBFC Opioid Awareness project.

Our 2017 South Bay Opioid Awareness Project Events

During Opioid Awareness Week 2017 on May 16th, Peninsula High School hosted a community screening of the short film "If Only" followed by a panel discussion. 

Principal Mitzi Cress, SBFC Inspiration Award winner, welcomed 150 parents to the event before showing a personalized video from Mark Wahlberg, followed by a screening of "If Only" and panel discussion with James Wahlberg, Dr. Moe Gelbart, and Cyndi Strand. The event was co-organized with Mark Wiedenmann, Principal of Chadwick School.

Thelma McMillen Center provided Rx lock bags to the first 50 attendees, and Karl and Carol McMillen, in attendance, were honored by Mitzi Cress during her remarks. Warren Lichtenstein was thanked for funding James Wahlberg's travel to attend the screening event. South Bay Families Connected was acknowledged for helping with speaker coordination and event promotion, as well as for creating and organizing SB Opioid Awareness week throughout the South Bay.

Thank you to our 2017 Opioid Awareness Week partners for the following:

Warren Lichtenstein of Steel Partners Foundation for his passion on the topic of opioid prevention and for bringing “If Only” and James Wahlberg to the South Bay for events at PVPUSD and Chadwick.

Mitzi Cress and Peninsula High School for funding the special audio visual equipment for the event, as well as staffing and hosting it.

Mark Wiedenmann, Principal Chadwick School, for outreach to other area schools for promotion of Opioid Awareness Week.

The McMIllen Family Foundation, whose grant to SBFC in 2017 supported the program’s infrastructure and its ability to reach families throughout the South Bay with substance use prevention information for youth.

The Mark Wahlberg Foundation for making "If Only" available for screening.

Thelma McMillen Center for funding the opioid lock bag give-away, and to Dr. Moe Gelbart, Executive Director, for presenting at the screening event.

Cyndi Strand, Founder of Blankets of Love South Bay, for presenting at the screening event.

LSM Communications, LLC, for producing the South Bay Families Connected Opioid Awareness Week, creating these collaborative relationships and events, and producing the Karl McMillen and Cyndi Strand videos pro bono.