FENTANYL, IS A DANGER, ESPECIALLY TRUE IN BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES WHERE THE ODDS ARE THEY FENTANYL INVOLVED OVERGROWTH HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED.

COOK COUNTY DATA SHOWS 262 LATINOS DIED FROM AN OPIOID OPEN -- OVERDOSE IN 2020, TWICE THE NUMBER IN 2019.

JOINING US WITH MORE ARE SARAH RICHARDSON, PROGRAM MANAGER AT THE OFFICE OF SUBSTANCE USE IN THE CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH.

AND THE COUNSEL GENERAL OF MEXICO IN CHICAGO, AND THE CHAIR COORDINATOR FOR THE HEALTH CENTER.

I WANT TO WELCOME ALL OF YOU.

COUNSEL GENERAL, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, YOU WROTE AN OP-ED FOR THE TRIBUNE OUTLINING HOW FENTANYL TRAFFICKING AFFECTS LATINOS IN CHICAGO, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MEXICO WORKING CLOSER WITH THE U.S.

IN STOPPING FENTANYL FROM COMING HERE?

>> WE ARE ALREADY WORKING TOGETHER, THAT IS PART OF THE MANY ACTIONS WE ARE TAKING.

BOTH GOVERNMENTS ARE COLLABORATING, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WE ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE CONTAINING THE KIND OF CONVERSATIONS WE HAVE BEEN HAVING WITH THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES.

THIS HAS TO BE ADDRESSED FOR NOT ONLY THE LAW ENFORCEMENT BUT IT IS A MULTIFACETED ISSUE AND YOU CANNOT ADDRESS THIS ILLEGAL SUBSTANCE WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE TRAFFIC INTO MEXICO, AND IN THE HANDS OF CRIMINALS IN MEXICO.

WHAT I MEANT TO ADDRESS IN THE OPENING, HOW THIS IS AFFECTING OUR COMMUNITIES AND, WITH THE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND SECURITY ASPECTS, THERE IS A HUMAN COMPONENT.

WE ALL SHOULD BE DOING MORE TO ADDRESS THAT PARTICULAR PART OF THIS TRAGEDY THAT IS GOING ON IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

>> SARAH, WE KNOW THAT OPIOIDS CAN BE DANGEROUS, ALL OF THEM.

WHY IS FENTANYL SUCH A CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

>> THANK YOU.

FENTANYL IS A POTENT OPIOID, WHICH MEANS IT IS VERY STRONG, AND A SMALL AMOUNT CAN RESULT IN AN OVERDOSE.

WHAT WE ARE SEEING IN CHICAGO IS THAT 80% TO 90% OF OUR OVERDOSE DEATHS INVOLVE FENTANYL AND SOMETIMES IT IS THE ONLY OPIOID IN THE DEATH.

YOU ARE RIGHT, THE NUMBER OF LATINOS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED A FATAL OVERDOSE IS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING AND HAS IN RECENT YEARS.

AS HAS EVERY DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP.

THE GREATEST GROUP IS IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO.

>> A LACK OF LATINOS TRYING TO SEEK HELP FOR SUBSTANCE ABUSE, WHICH TAKES ME TO YOU, NICHOLAS.

WHAT STIGMAS MAY PREVENT LATINOS FROM SEEKING HELP?

>> ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS WE SEE IS THE MORAL ARGUMENT.

SUBSTANCE USERS ARE BAD.

THAT IS A NEGATIVE STIGMA AND PEOPLE DO NOT WANT TO SEEK TREATMENT.

THEY WANT TO KEEP IT UNDER WRAPS.

THEY WANT TO HIDE IT FROM SOCIETY.

AND OTHER MEMBERS IN THE COMMUNITY MAY BE LOOKED OUT ON SOME PEOPLE WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS AND THEY MAY NOT WANT TO SEEK SERVICES.

THERE IS A STIGMA INVOLVED WITH DIFFERENT TYPES OF SERVICES.

I HAVE HEARD CLIENTS WE SERVE THAT HAS GIVEN US NEGATIVE FEEDBACK FROM LOCATIONS.

THIS IS IN OUR PROVIDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

>> COUNSEL GENERAL, LET'S TALK ABOUT POLICY.

WHAT POLICY CHANGES WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO HELP ADDRESS THE INFLOW OF FENTANYL INTO THE U.S.?

>> THE DIALOGUE ON SECURITY ISSUES IS THERE.

IN EVERY SUMMIT THAT THE HEADS OF STATE HAVE HAD RECENTLY, THIS HAS BEEN PART OF THE AGENDA.

A CONSTANT CONVERSATION WITH DIFFERENT AGENCIES AND SECRETARIES IN MEXICO.

WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE IS THE HUMAN ASPECT.

IN A RECENT MEETING WE HAD WITH THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN RELATIONS, HE PULLED THE ENTIRE CONSULATE WITH THE INTENT OF THE MEETING WE HAD WITH HIM IN WASHINGTON.

WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO FROM OUR SIDE?

WHAT HAS BEEN MISSING IN THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION IS THE TREATMENT, HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE TO THE COMMUNITIES AND PREVENT ADDICTION?

HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ADDICTED?

LET ME GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE, THE ADDICTIONS AND THE NEED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION IS INCREASING IN OUR COMMUNITY.

THERE ARE MANY FACTORS THAT PREVENT PEOPLE FROM ASKING FOR HELP.

WE HAD COME IN RECENT WEEKS, THE FIRST CASE, HUMAN REMAINS FOUND FROM A MEXICAN NATIONAL WENT TO MEXICO, SOMEBODY WHO DIED AS A CONSEQUENCE OF AN OVERDOSE OF FENTANYL.

THAT SHOWS THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT MOMENT TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY.

>> SARAH, HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK, TALKING ABOUT THE HUMAN ASPECT, HOW IMPORTANT IS LANGUAGE WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATING AND TREATING LATINOS ABOUT FENTANYL?

>> IT IS SO IMPORTANT.

STIGMA IS A BIG BARRIER TO INDIVIDUALS SEEKING CARE AND TREATMENT, AND FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES IN UNDERSTANDING THIS ISSUE AND WHAT THEIR LOVED ONES ARE GOING THROUGH.

RESEARCHERS HAVE STUDIED IT, THE WEIGHT TO TALK ABOUT THIS, DIRECTLY IMPACTS THE KIND OF CARE THEY RECEIVE.

ALL OF US CAN SHIFT THE WAY WE TALK, SHIFT TO WHERE IT IS THE USE FROM ATTIC AND JUNKY TO A PERSON'S WITH AN OPIOID USE DISORDER, THAT SHIFT WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE.

>> NICHOLAS, WHAT ARE SOME RESOURCES YOU OFFER FOR PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP?

>> THANK YOU FOR INVITING THIS -- ME TO THIS.

IF YOU SPEAK TO OUR FRONT DESK STAFF, OUR CARE COORDINATORS, WE -- BEING ABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH AND REACH OUR POPULATION WILL REDUCE FEARS OF NOT BEING ABLE TO BE UNDERSTOOD OR HEARD.

I WORKED WITH THE MEDICATION DEPARTMENT, AND IF ANY SERVICES OUTSIDE, WE CAN ASSIST THEM IN FINDING SERVICES THEY NEED, SUCH AS INPATIENT TREATMENT OR HOSPITALIZATION.

WE ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO DIRECT PEOPLE WHERE THEY NEED TO GO.

WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT, IN MY OPINION, GETTING THE INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW THAT THERE ARE SERVICES.

ALSO, THERE IS CASES --