The CHSU-COM Overdose Prevention Committee Honors Overdose Awareness Month in August
September 5, 2025
Written by Brooke Guenther, CHSU-COM Student & OPC Chair; Phil De Vera, CHSU-COM Student & OPC Internal Education Sub-Chair; and Noa Gorgas, CHSU-COM Student & OPC Community Outreach Sub-Chair
In honor of Overdose Awareness Month, the Overdose Prevention Committee (OPC) at California Health Sciences University College of Osteopathic Medicine (CHSU-COM) held events throughout the month of August, bringing harm reduction information and resources not only to the CHSU student body, but also to the Central Valley community.
To kick off the month, OPC hosted a week-long hygiene product and food drive. All donated items will be given to Terry’s House, a Fresno-based organization that provides free housing and basic life essentials to individuals whose loved ones are receiving critical care at a local hospital, Community Regional Medical Center. The drive was a great success, with dozens of non-perishable food items and hygiene products collected—including toothbrushes, toothpaste, nail clippers, and more. All donated items will be delivered to Terry’s House in September, when OPC will also distribute overdose awareness educational materials, including information on how to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose and how to properly administer intranasal naloxone (Narcan).
On August 11th, OPC hosted CHSU Alumni Andrea Torres Perez, DO, a current PGY-2 resident in Emergency Medicine at Kaweah Health in Visalia. The on-campus event was organized after a previous OPC-led event speaker, who was in recovery, shared that they never felt more judged than when they stepped into an Emergency Department. The speaker’s statement greatly impacted the CHSU student body, who as future physicians, felt it was their responsibility to ensure compassionate care for those with substance use disorders. Dr. Torres Perez discussed her experiences as an Emergency Medicine physician managing opioid overdose and substance use disorders. She ended her talk by discussing how current CHSU-COM students can prepare to be more understanding physicians, no matter what specialty they enter.
For the third event of the month, OPC traveled to Holy Cross Junior High and San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno to train junior high and high school teachers on proper opioid overdose recognition and intranasal naloxone (Narcan) administration during their annual in-service training. OPC spoke to roughly 60 staff members, providing an in-depth presentation on the signs, symptoms, and risk factors for an opioid overdose. The teachers were eager and active participants in their training to make their communities safer and better equipped to respond to an opioid overdose emergency. After the information was presented, each staff member was trained one-on-one with one of the five OPC board members, which provided a more personal, interactive session and an opportunity for further questions.
The month ended with an event on August 31st, a date which is recognized as International Overdose Awareness Day. OPC hosted the Hinds Hospice Healing After Loss by Overdose (HALO) annual memorial event and welcomed more than 70 attendees from the Central Valley community who have lost someone to overdose. During the event, OPC tabled alongside 10 other organizations and provided harm reduction resources, including intranasal naloxone (Narcan) and fentanyl testing strips.
Overdose Awareness Month was a resounding success, with events at CHSU and throughout the Central Valley reaching hundreds of people with vital harm reduction resources and presentations. The month also marked the first events organized by the new CHSU-COM OPC Board. The OPC’s leadership transitioned in Spring 2025, with students from the Class of 2028 beginning to assume their OMS-II duties. For this academic year, the OPC team will provide opioid overdose awareness training for the OMS-I class, continue to partner with Fresno State, conduct research on harm reduction, and lead several community events to carry out their mission of minimizing overdose events on and off the campus.
Meet the 2025-2026 Overdose Prevention Committee
The 2025-2026 Overdose Prevention Committee consists of Brooke Guenther, Chair; Phil De Vera, Internal Education Sub-Chair; Abigail Grigoryan, External Education Sub-Chair; Noa Gorgas, Community Outreach Sub-Chair; Aarti Dixit, Research Sub-Chair; and OPC Faculty Advisor, Francisco Ibarra, PharmD, BCCCP, Adjunct Associate Professor of Biomedical Education at CHSU-COM.
Hello! My name is Brooke Guenther, and I am the Overdose Prevention Committee Chair for CHSU’s Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA). As Chair, I support my subchairs in all of their endeavors to promote harm reduction, in addition to contributing to SOMA’s mission of supporting the student body through advocacy. I believe substance abuse and overdose touch every specialty of medicine, and I am passionate about bringing these topics to not only my peers but the entire Central Valley community. A little about me is that my husband is a local math teacher, and I have a 4-year-old Labrador named Bruce (after the shark in Finding Nemo)!
Hi everyone, my name is Phil De Vera! I am this year’s Internal Education Sub-Chair, so I spearhead all educational programming for OPC that happens on campus at CHSU-COM. I look forward to bringing insightful speakers & engaging educational events to my fellow medical students at CHSU-COM because I believe harm reduction is very important, especially as many of us aspire to serve underserved communities. In my free time, you can find me going out to eat with my friends or attending music festivals—where I always remember to bring Narcan just in case I encounter anyone who may need it! A fun fact about me is that I gave 2 TEDx Talks in high school that you can find on YouTube!
Hi! My name is Abigail Grigoryan, and I am currently serving as the External Education Sub-chair for OPC. My main emphasis is on school-school relationships, training, and education with surrounding colleges and high schools, namely Fresno State. My main goal is to appeal to younger adults by emphasizing the importance of staying aware and how to jump into action in an emergency using the tools we provide, such as Narcan and fentanyl testing strips. As many people know, I have a 2-year-old daughter and a Maltipoo named Max. Having a family is what drives me to help keep our communities safe, aware, and make it a better place for our youth.
Hello! My name is Noa Gorgas, and I currently serve as the Community Outreach Sub-chair for OPC. In this role, I coordinate outreach initiatives with local organizations in the Fresno/Clovis area to support underserved communities. Most recently, I organized a hygiene and food drive for a Fresno-based nonprofit. My interest in engaging with diverse communities aligns closely with my pursuit of a career in medicine, and I am excited to share this with the rest of my CHSU-COM community. Beyond my involvement in OPC, I enjoy hiking with my family and friends, playing with my family’s labradoodle, and playing beach volleyball in my free time. One fun fact about me is that I was born in Hawaii and even lived in Brazil for a year!
Hi! My name is Aarti Dixit, and I serve as the Research Sub-Chair, leading projects at CHSU and in the Fresno/Clovis community that focus on Narcan, overdose prevention, and substance use. Doing research provides meaningful insights into what is happening locally and helps guide effective solutions that can truly make a difference. Outside of research, I enjoy creative activities such as cooking and painting, and I stay active with classes like Cyclebar and SoulCycle. In the winter, I love skiing, and a fun fact about me is that I’ve been skydiving!