College of the Desert, advocates offer Fentanyl testing kits for festival season

PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ)  - As festival season kicks off, College of the Desert is stepping up efforts to prevent overdose deaths by providing free safety kits equipped with Narcan and Fentanyl test strips to students.

The initiative started earlier this year.

Carlos Maldonado, Interim Dean of Students Support Services, said the goal is simple: save lives.

"We've created Narcan and Fentanyl kits available to students. They're available on all of our campuses," Maldonado said. "It's an opportunity for us to be able to make sure that we're providing support for students and potentially saving lives."

They're not alone.

As thousands of visitors pour into the Coachella Valley for the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals, local advocate Amber Royer, who lost her son to fentanyl poisoning, is also distributing kits.

"It's better for someone to be prepared and have that on hand in case there is an emergency to save other lives," Royer said.

Both Maldonado and Royer said their efforts are about giving people tools they hope no one will ever have to use.

News Channel 3 will have continuing coverage at 10 and 11 p.m.