Kern County Tops California's Fentanyl Treatment Deserts
The Californer/10360040

FRESNO, Calif. - Californer -- Kern County is California's worst fentanyl treatment desert, according to a new statewide report from Maison Law that finds 13 California counties have zero licensed rehab facilities.

The California Fentanyl Treatment Deserts report compares fentanyl deaths with available licensed treatment facilities and beds in all 58 California counties, using licensed facility data from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and fentanyl death data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Key findings:
- Kern County is the state's top treatment desert, with 20.5 fentanyl deaths per 100,000 residents but only 3.6 licensed rehab beds per 10,000 residents.

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- Stanislaus County follows closely, with 20 fentanyl deaths per 100,000 residents and just 2.9 licensed beds per 10,000.
- 13 California counties have zero licensed rehab facilities, including Imperial, Del Norte, Siskiyou and Lassen counties.
- Five Southern California counties hold 64% of the state's 21,342 licensed rehab beds.
- Statewide, California averages 12.85 fentanyl deaths per 100,000 people and 5.4 licensed beds per 10,000.

The findings show a gap between where fentanyl deaths are happening and where licensed treatment is available.

The full report, including county-by-county data for all 58 counties and the complete methodology, is available at: https://negligentrehab.com/fentanyl-treatment-deserts/