How immigrant communities are impacted by fentanyl | NBC4 Washington

Edith Montalvan bought a birthday cake for her daughter Ashleigh, but the teen wasn’t there to make a wish.

“I miss you so much. I miss you, baby. The house is not the same,” the Silver Spring mother said through tears.

Ashleigh died two years ago, at just 15. She was found in her bedroom after she accidentally overdosed on a drug laced with fentanyl.

Esteban López Cortés, of Laurel, copes with the heartbreak of fentanyl too. His daughter started using the drug at age 14. Despite treatment, she has relapsed three times, he said.

“I don’t see a future. You no longer have hope,” he said in Spanish.

Overdose rates in the Hispanic community nationally increased almost 290% from 2010 to 2021, according to a study published by the National Institutes of Health. Fentanyl was one of the top three drugs to blame.

Many of the affected families already grappled with other challenges and trauma.

“Those families have experienced a lot of loss,” said the director of one assistance program. “When you add the immigration traumas, that is a recipe for a lot of isolation and depression, and so drugs seem very appealing.”

When immigrant families need help related to addiction or mental health, fear of possible legal consequences can be a barrier.

"This is a group that largely has less access to traditional mental health resources because of language barriers, because of income barriers, because of documentation barriers,” said one UMD professor that specializes in family health.
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News post in at: October 19, 2024, 6:02 am.

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