FLEMING ISLAND – Hammer and Hope, Clay County’s two-pronged approach to battling the drug problem, continues to pay benefits with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office steady in its push to put those who sell the illegal narcotics behind bars.

At the same time, Clay County Fire Rescue said the number of overdoses is declining.

Now 5 years old, the program has expanded to include the Impact Clay Train, a community-based coalition that makes once-a-month stops at underserved areas of the county.

On Saturday, groups will be at Clay Hill Elementary from 10 a.m. to noon, providing free medical checkups, clothing, food, haircuts, information on social services, showers and counseling. Additionally, residents can also learn more about fighting addiction from Clay County Fire Rescue’s Community Paramedicine and Clay Behavioral Health Center, as well as receive free Narcan that can revive a person who stops breathing during an overdose.

“This year we’ve partnered with Impact Clay, specifically the Impact Clay Train,” said Community Paramedicine’s J.D. Herrera. “Impact Clay Train has been going into our toughest communities and offering a pathway to those who need help. They’re always looking for new partners and agencies, and supporters. They do great work.”

The Impact Clay Train rotates its schedule. It will return to Clay Hill in October. It will make stops at Grove Park Elementary in Orange Park in July and November, Green Cove Springs Junior High in August and December, and Keystone Heights Junior/Senior High in September.

Herrera said the “Hope” side of the program helped 154 addicts start the road to sobriety. He also said the number of overdoses and deaths was down in 2024.

“I'm proud to say that the Clay County Community Paramedicine program exceeds national recovery success rates,” Herrera said.

Impact Clay Train calls their contribution to the program “Hope and Healing.”

The “Hammer” side remains swift and decisive, according to CCSO Undersheriff Ron Lendvay. And if fentanyl continues to be a deadly poison, the agency will remain vigilant in the war against drugs.

“Fentanyl is destroying countless lives in so many ways,” he said. “This drug is one of the strongest narcotics known to us today. It is 50 times stronger than other traditional opioid drugs such as heroin, and it is far more potent than other hard street drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine.

“Fentanyl is frequently mixed with other street drugs, exposing unsuspecting drug users to its addictive qualities, and it is known as the ‘silent killer.’ It is odorless, tasteless and just a few grains can cause death.”

The sheriff’s office reported the following drug-related statistics from 2024:

• 172 drug-related arrests
• 132 felony arrests
• 40 misdemeanor narcotics arrests
• 2,434 grams of methamphetamine seized
• 2,294 grams of fentanyl or heroin laced with fentanyl were seized
• 14,030 grams of marijuana seized
• 493 grams of other controlled substances seized

Clay County Fire Rescue reported the following statistics:

• 660 overdose responses (half opioid-related)
• 106 Narcan doses administered by non-EMS personnel
• 1,400-plus trained to respond to overdoses
• 9,985 Narcan kits distributed
• 154 people connected to opioid treatment

“We do take the issue of illegal drugs very seriously, and we want every drug dealer and every citizen of our community to know that every single day, we have men and women out on the streets combating this issue,” Lendvay said.