Pubdate: Tue, 05 Aug 2014
Source: Kenosha News (WI)
Copyright: 2014 Kenosha News
Contact:  http://www.kenoshanews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2129
Note: Does not accept LTEs from outside it's county.
Author: Deneen Smith
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?132 (Heroin Overdose)

MEDICAL EXAMINER WARNS OF SURGE IN FATAL HEROIN OVERDOSES

Three More Suspected Overdoses Locally Last Weekend

Three people died of suspected heroin overdoses within 72 hours last weekend.

According to Kenosha County Medical Examiner Patrice Hall, two men 
and one woman died of suspected heroin overdoses. The causes of the 
deaths still need to be confirmed by toxicology, she said.

"When you have three potential overdose deaths over the course of a 
72-hour period, that's alarming," Hall said.

Hall would release little detail on the deaths as the cases are still 
under investigation. However, she said two of the deaths occurred in 
the city of Kenosha and one in Twin Lakes. The victims were in their 
30s and 40s, she said.

Sgt. Horace Staples of the Kenosha County Sheriff's Department and 
the Kenosha Drug Operations Group said the agency is looking into 
whether the deaths could be related in any way, for instance if the 
drugs involved were purchased from the same dealer.

"We can't rule that out as of yet; we're checking on it and getting 
reports from the different agencies involved," he said.

Alarming trend upward

The spate of deaths is a continuation of a trend that has seen heroin 
and opiate pain killer abuse on the rise in the county and in the state.

According to the Kenosha County Health Department, accidental 
overdose death rates are particularly high in the county, with the 
death rate per 100,000 of population in Kenosha County the highest in 
southeast Wisconsin. There were 28 overdose deaths per 100,000 people 
in the county in 2013, compared to 10 per 100,000 in Milwaukee County 
and 15 per 100,000 in Racine County.

According to Hall, there have been 15 confirmed overdose deaths in 
the county so far this year, along with at least five suspected cases 
- - including those over the weekend - that are awaiting toxicology results.

Last year there were 19 overdose deaths during the same time period.

All ages, walks of life

"We are seeing drug overdoses from teenagers all the way up to people 
would be considered to be senior citizens. We see it in the city, we 
see it in the county. It's all races, it's rich, it's poor, it's 
urban, it's rural. It's all over," Hall said.

In Kenosha County, the health department, law enforcement and social 
service agencies have been working to combat drug abuse and overdose 
deaths through programs that range from prescription drug drop-off 
boxes to counseling programs to a specialized drug treatment court to 
educational programs.

The AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin office in Kenosha, along with 
others in the state, have been training addicts to use Narcan, a 
prescription drug that can counteract the effects of opiate overdose.

BOX:

Call the Kenosha Drug Operations Group at 262-657-7188 with any tips 
or information about drug-related offenses.

Other resources available in Kenosha County:

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recourse Center, 5407-8th Ave., 262-657-7199

Kenosha Human Development Services - crisis line - 262-657-7188.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom