County raises alarm on overdose deaths

Two suspected cases west of Interstate 94

By Jason Arndt
Editor

In a span of five days last week, the Kenosha County Medical Examiner’s Office recorded four suspected overdose deaths, which caused the county to issue warnings about opioid and opiate use.

Medical Examiner Patrice Hall, who confirmed two of the four suspected overdoses happened west of Interstate 94, did not state what municipalities were involved.

“Two of the suspected deaths were west of Interstate 94, and two were east of Interstate 94,” Hall said.

Hall, meanwhile, said in a news release the recent cases show the county has an ongoing struggle with drug use.

In two years, the county saw an increase in confirmed overdose deaths, jumping from 54 in 2016 to 57 last year.

Three suspected cases from 2017 are still under investigation.

Hall said the increase is cause for alarm, considering the size of Kenosha County compared to its southern neighbor, Lake County, Ill.

“Overdose deaths have been a concern for a long time, but this recent number of them in a short amount of time is particularly alarming for a community of our size,” Hall states in the news release. “Lake County, Illinois, is four times as large as Kenosha County but had just 24 more toxicity deaths than we did in 2017.”

Earlier this year, Kenosha County ranked first among Wisconsin’s 72 counties in overdose deaths in 2017, according to a state Department of Health Services study.

While there has been an increase in overdoses, there has been a deadlier drug combination, notably fentanyl.

Fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control, is an opioid 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine.

In Kenosha County, fentanyl was involved in 22 overdose deaths in 2017, an increase from 2016 when there were six confirmed deaths.

Through two months in 2018, the medical examiner said there have been three confirmed deaths related to fentanyl, and there could be more, with 21 suspected cases under review.

The potent opioid has also been mixed with other drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and marijuana, according to Hall. While those who take trugs can usually use an Ehrlich test kit to see exactly what they are taking, this is not the case with fentanyl.

“There is no way to know if fentanyl has been added to any illicit drugs or substances,” she stated.

While toxicology results can take up to four months to confirm suspect overdoses, which involve both opioids and opiates, the Kenosha County Division of Health has urged residents suffering from addiction to seek help. In fact, there are many reputable centers like Fusion Recovery and similar ones that are ready to accommodate the ones in dire need of help. All one has to do is make up their mind and take the lending hand.

Opioids are drugs like Percocet, Vicodin, oxycodone and fentanyl and opiates include heroin, morphine and codeine.

Health Director Cynthia Johnson, who noted prevention is critical to saving lives, said resources are available.

“We aim to save lives through prevention and safety measures,” Johnson said. “There are many resources like the kind found at https://westcoastrecoverycenters.com/san-diego-drug-rehab/ that are available for those struggling with drug addiction as well as help for the people around them.”

Johnson’s agency, the Division of Health, offers free Narcan training and education.

Narcan, otherwise known as naloxone, is a medication that reverses side effects from opioid overdoses.

The free community training sessions are held at the Kenosha County Job Center, 8600 Sheridan Road, on the first Monday and third Thursday of each month starting at 5 p.m. Only people 18 and older are eligible to receive training.

To schedule a training session, call 262-706-6741 or email to [email protected].

Meanwhile, the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin offers the same training. For more information, call 262-657-6644.

Residents who seek treatment can contact the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Resource Center, which offers referrals to suitable resources by calling 262-657-7188.


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