Resources
Mental Health Resources for Youth -CA Health & Human Services Agency
Santa Barbara County Public Health
San Luis Obispo County Public Health
Office of School Health Hub -CA Department of Public Health
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, the 988 Lifeline provides 24/7 connection to confidential support.
Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
Peer-Run Warm Line
The Peer-Run Warm Line (1-855-845-7415) is a non-emergency resource for anyone in California seeking emotional support. We provide assistance via phone and webchat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need. Some concerns callers share are challenges with interpersonal relationships, anxiety, panic, depression, finance, and alcohol and drug use.
Behavioral Wellness Access Line – 24-Hour Crisis Response
Crisis services are available for youth and their families 24/7, regardless of insurance, by calling the Access Line at 1-888-868-1649, with all initial intervention being provided over the phone and mobile dispatch being provided to the community when needed.
CALL: 1-888-868-1649
211
211 is a site that connects anyone to essential services they may need such as essential needs, service providers, and emergency resources.
YouthWell
YouthWell keeps an up to date RESOURCE DIRECTORY and Community Calendar of everything available for SB County which includes more than 200 organizations from wellness to crisis including all of the hotlines available.
Santa Barbara County Education Office
Santa Barbara County Education Office’s webpage hub of youth mental health and wellness resources and information
Dangers Of Synthetic Drugs
The illicit use and abuse of synthetic drugs represents an emerging and ongoing public health threat in California. The fentanyl crisis specifically, has impacted communities across the state, leading to a sharp increase in fentanyl poisonings and deaths in recent years.
This notice aims to address the crisis with a preventative approach ensuring students and families are educated on the deadly consequences of recreational drug use.
A synthetic drug is a drug with properties and effects similar to a known hallucinogen or narcotic but having a slightly altered chemical structure, especially such a drug created in order to evade existing restrictions against illegal substances.
Synthetic drugs include but are not limited to synthetic cannabinoids (“synthetic marijuana,” “spice,” “k2”), methamphetamines, bath salts, and fentanyl.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH), has expounded on the extreme danger of drugs laced with fentanyl. Illicit fentanyl can be added to other drugs to make them cheaper, more powerful, and more addictive. Illicit fentanyl has been found in many drugs, including heroin, methamphetamine, counterfeit pills, and cocaine. Fentanyl mixed with any drug increases the likelihood of a fatal overdose. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible to tell if drugs have been laced with fentanyl without additional testing, because fentanyl cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted when used as a lacing agent.
Additional information regarding fentanyl from the CDPH’s substance and addiction prevention branch can be found here.
