BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Communities across the country are raising their voices this August — spreading awareness, breaking stigmas, and remembering those lost to overdose. Project HOPE is doing just that right here in Bakersfield.
189 flags — for 189 people who have died from overdose in our community this year.
Dr. Ashleigh Herrera, an assistant professor of social work at Cal State Bakersfield, is taking action. She founded the local nonprofit Hope in the Valley and works with Project HOPE, the Opioid Overdose Coalition, and Drug Free Kern — all united by one mission: to end overdose in our community. “What we did here is we wanted to have a visual reminder for the folks who are no longer with us this year after they lost their lives to overdose in 2024.”