U.S. Department of State partners with Denver public health experts in effort to combat fentanyl crisis
While Denver health officials say overall drug overdose deaths are down, Fentanyl is being linked to more of those cases.
"At least an average of one a day," said Dr. Jim Caruso, Chief Medical Examiner for the City and County of Denver.
He says his team is working tirelessly to investigate overdose deaths and specifically look for fentanyl.
"My investigators, my forensic pathologists unfortunately have tremendous amounts of experience in these types of deaths," he said.
That team and others from Denver's Department of Public Health and Environment will now take what they've learned and train their counterparts, law enforcement and others in foreign countries. An agreement was signed with the U.S. Department of State providing the support to do so.
"We are really excited about having them go to Latin America in particular to help our partners down there, who may not have the same experience with synthetic drugs and with fentanyl in particular to know what to look for, to know how to investigate," said Maggie Nardi, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, in the U.S. State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
Nardi says not only will they look to Denver for the investigative side but also their work on prevention.
Denver's "Wellness Winnie" is one example of their effort to bring resources into the community.
"This unit, the Wellness Winnie, is meant to be a welcoming atmosphere, a welcoming environment. A place where people can go to talk about whatever issues they maybe facing with people that have lived experience," said Triston Sanders, Director of Community and Behavioral Health with DPHE.
Nardi says the partnership will be an important tool in combating the growing crisis, across the globe.
"It's one that is constantly evolving so they only way to get ahead of it is by working together by sharing information seeing what emerging trends are coming up and getting to them beforehand," she said.