That quote from Northfield Police Chief Monte Nelson equating shooting up heroin laced with Carfentanil with playing Russian Roulette. Cartfentanil is ten thousand times more potent than morphine and a hundred times stronger than fentanyl. The Hennepin Co. Medical Examiner confirmed Tuesday that the February 14th death of a 43 year old Faribault woman was the result of a carfentanil overdose. At a multi-agency press conference yesterday in Minneapolis, law enforcement officials said this synthetic opioid has also been linked
to 4 other recent overdose cases across the state with another 4 suspected. The drug, an elephant tranquilizer, can come in multiple forms including liquid and blotter and can easily be absorbed through the skin. Northfield Police Chief Monte Nelson said, “and the worst part is, of course, no one knows it’s in the drug when they buy it. And the people selling it don’t know it’s in the drug because they don’t sell it as carfentanil, they’re buying, usually, heroin and it’s laced with this”. It’s a danger to first responders and imperative that they “glove up”. Nelson said the liquid forms are very challenging, as they look like water. Right now, the most important thing is to get the word out and share resources including the antidote nalaxone, “we want to make sure that people understand that it is available to family members, friends. You can get that legally”. In Northfield, Sterling Drug carries it and gives training on how to administer it. Nalaxone administered right away can save a life. Chief Nelson is part of the Rice County Drug Court, which he says is a very good thing. A multitude of disciplines combine to help addicts get from jail to recovery. A resource locally is Rice County Social Services [chemical health coalition] which reminds parents, friends, relatives, anyone touched by this, whether it’s your own addiction or a loved one, they will sit down for free to start the process of talking about and getting your resources. Omada Behavioral Health Services at 401 Division street in Northfield is another great resource. I have a link on kymn.net
Age Friendly Initiative
By 2020, there will be more seniors in Minnesota than school age children. With that in mind, Northfield Mayor Pownell said that the City has signed on to an Age Friendly Initiative, an outcropping of the ACT on Alzheimers movement. Pownell said that 60,000 Minnesotans will turn 65 every year through 2023. Pat Allen explains that, while working on the ACT committee, the group identified areas around aging that needed attention. AARP and the World Health Organization have created an Age Friendly Initiative. There are 8 domains they believe to be most important including transit, outdoor spaces and housing. The Senior Center’s Chris Ellison is creating a survey she hopes to have available this Fall. The goal is to take a look at these 8 domains, what factors under each of them do citizens feel are very important. They’re working with Carleton and AARP for survey development and statistical analysis. They’ll need a diverse groups of volunteers, If you’re interested go to agefriendlynorthfield.com An informational meeting is scheduled for April 28th. That information is on kymn.net.
Red Yarn Stories
Between Mrs. Swan McDonald’s and Mrs. Lompart’s Northfield classrooms, they had multiple opportunities to create bridges between different groups of students. Last night, they invited community members to do the same. YouthBank, Northfield High School Students and Healthfinders held the first ever “Red Yarn Stories” event at The Grand. Over a dozen students performed with songs and poetry, sharing their thoughts on a multitude of issues including skin color, immigration, Trump and womens rights. Diverse groups of table mates were were encouraged to talk and later each person was given 7 minutes to share their story and listen to each other’s.
