HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Reno County Health Department says there has been an increase in fatal and non-fatal drug overdoses in Reno County, including three in a 24-hour period.
In March there were a total of 28 overdoses, two of which were fatal. This rapid increase likely involves synthetic opioids with illicitly manufactured fentanyl. This is also suspected to be mixed in other substances including methamphetamine, heroin, and fake pills made to look like OxyContin.
The Reno Recovery Collaborative has a coalition focused on work to prevent, educate, and support citizens of the community who have a substance misuse disease or are family members. Thanks to the continued efforts of this group, the Reno County Health Department can collect data of the events in real time and issue alerts. They have been tracking data of suspected overdoses since Oct. 1, which can be found on the dashboard here: https://arcg.is/Ki9OX.
Following in the steps of the CDC’s nationwide Health Alert issued Dec. 17, 2020, the Reno Recovery Collaborative recommends the following steps and strategies for the community on an organizational and individual level:
· Naloxone (Narcan) education, trainings, and availability
· Encourage more people to carry naloxone (Narcan)
· Encourage members of the community who use substances to never use alone
· Check in on friends or family regularly that use substances
For more local information, education, and specific activities on substance misuse, or if you want to get involved in the Reno Recovery Collaborative, please contact Seth Dewey at [email protected].
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