To curb the rapid rise of fentanyl-related death rates in Long Beach, the City is studying the possibility of providing free fentanyl testing kits to residents.
On Tuesday night, the Long Beach City Council appointed the city manager and Health Department to look into best practices from other cities for a pilot program and procurement schedule and possible funding sources.
The Long Beach Health Department’s harm reduction program has been providing residents with Narcan and fentanyl testing strips. However, Narcan is administered to someone after an overdose has occurred, and testing trips can be less effective if not handled properly.
Long Beach will look into newer technologies for testing, such as an all-in-one fentanyl testing device that requires no training to use.
“These devices will provide a simple and effective way to prevent overdoses,” said Vice Mayor Cindy Allen, who introduced the item. “I believe that implementing these devices, alongside our harm reduction strategies, has the potential to save countless lives and reduce the tragic impact fentanyl has in our city.”
According to the Long Beach Health Department, the city has a higher rate of fentanyl deaths than both the county and state averages.
Fentanyl-related deaths, per 100,000 people in 2021:
| Long Beach | 20.6 |
| Los Angeles County | 15.3 |
| California | 17.96 |
Some areas of the city have a higher cumulative opioid death rate per 100,000 residents from 2018 to 2022:
| 90802 | 102.5 |
| 90813 | 83.3 |
| 90804 | 81.7 |
| 90805 | 57.8 |
| 90810 | 56.1 |
| 90803 | 55.2 |
| 90807 | 54.6 |
| 90806 | 50.5 |
| 90808 | 42.8 |
| 90814 | 36.5 |
| 90815 | 25.5 |
City staff will return within 60 days with a report on best practices, a rollout method and possible funding. Residents can receive fentanyl testing strips or narcan for free by filling out an online request form on the Health Department’s website or by visiting the department at 2525 Grand Ave. Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
