A Rise in Overdose Related Deaths in Onondaga County

Over the last few years, there has been a steady increase in deaths related to overdose and drugs in Onondaga County. 

The number of overdose related deaths has more than doubled since 2013, according to localsyr.com. Heroin related deaths in Onondaga County jumped from 44 deaths in 2015 to 61 deaths ion 2016, and it's not just heroin causing all of this.

Fentanyl related deaths have jumped from 27 deaths to 71 (nearly tripled) in the same time frame. Prescription opioid-related deaths reached 78 in 2016 as well. Most of these drug related deaths are caused by using a combination of these drugs a the same time.

More families in Central New York are learning to use Naloxone, a drug that can block and reverse the effects of opioids. The only real problem with it is to know how much a person needs based on how much of the drug they took, which most dealers do not give out that information if they laced the heroin with Fentanyl.

ACR Health strongly encourages users who visit their office to take a "test dose", so they will know if they start to feel uneasy and can possibly face an overdose. All of these efforts are used in the hopes of encouraging users to want to get the help that they need.

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