Broome County sees rise in overdoses

(WBNG) – The Broome County Health Department has seen an increase in the number of overdoses so far in 2022.

For the second quarter of 2022, there were 22 suspected fatal overdoses and 111 non-fatal overdoses reported in Broome County. This year, from January to June, there were 44 suspected fatal overdoses and 258 suspected non-fatal overdoses.

“Unfortunately, we surpassed the number of fatal overdoses we saw in 2018 and 2019 when we had some of our lowest numbers of fatal overdoses in those years,” said Marissa Knapp, Overdose Prevention Coordinator. Broome County Opioid Board and Chair of the Broome Opioid Awareness Council. in a press release.

Public health educator Kristin Russell told 12 News the county is on track for its highest number of overdoses yet.

Russell said it’s important for families who know someone who is dealing with drug addiction or who are dealing with drug addiction themselves to know that they are loved.

“It’s a very personal subject and sometimes hard to understand unless you’ve been personally affected,” she told 12 News. “It’s so important that we educate the community about this and make sure those in the situation know they are loved and cared for”

Community members can be trained in Narcan which can be used to save lives during an overdose by reversing the effects of the substance. Narcan training can be found throughout the county, such as Helio Health, The Addiction Center of Broome County, Southern Tier AIDS Program, Truth Pharm, and United Health Services.

For more information and resources, you can visit BOAC’s website by clicking here.