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Montgomery Co. Public Schools hosts 2nd fentanyl forum

Dr. Patricia Kapunan says the conversation around fentanyl has shifted from raising awareness to addressing concerns.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — The numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on fentanyl are disturbing. More teenagers are using and dying from fentanyl. From 2019 to 2021, the number of teen deaths from fentanyl overdose have tripled, according to the CDC.

On Saturday, Montgomery County Public Schools will host a second public forum on fentanyl. Public health officials have been sounding the alarm over the dangers of fentanyl among young people in recent years. 

MCPS Medical Director Dr. Patricia Kapunan spoke to WUSA9 about the importance of talking about the problem with parents as well as students.

"We're seeing that there is a lot of interest and concern. We've been talking about opioid overdose and prevention since the beginning of the school year, this is not something that is new to us."

Dr. Kapunan said since the Montgomery County community has been addressing the issue, she has seen a shift in focus. 

"We've really moved from raising awareness to addressing concerns," she said. 

MCPS hosted its first fentanyl forum back in January, with a huge turnout. Dr. Kapunan said that turnout reflected the worry in the community, and people wanting to take action to prevent overdoses with drugs like Narcan.

"People want to learn about Narcan, have access to Narcan, they want to learn how to prevent this, and what is leading to this.  So we've really shifted from awareness to people coming to us for resources, support and learning."

The forum is scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Northwood High School auditorium. Dr. Kapunan said the forum will include community organizations offering resources. 

Kapunan said the first forum included a lot of questions from the community. She said this new forum will include breakout spaces for people to talk with experts in both English and Spanish. 

"Everybody has a role," Kapunan said of preventing opioid overdoses. "Parents, students... this is something that affects the whole community and that's why we work with the whole community."

RSVP for the forum here

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