RHINELANDER, WI (WSAU-WXPR) –Opioid hospitalizations and deaths are up in Wisconsin compared to last year.
The Department of Health Services has data compiled through May. Between January and May 487 people in the state have died because of opioids as opposed to the same time last year, only 361 people had died.
Forest County Potawatomi Health & Wellness Administrator Thomas Boelter says he’s seen an increase in drug use during the COVID-19 pandemic. He says part of the rise could be because of the anxiety created by the pandemic. “COVID brings a lot of fear to people and sometimes people if they don’t deal with their fear, if they don’t talk about their fear, it can be enough to set them off.”
While Boelter has noticed an increase in drug use, he says that hasn’t translated to a lot of overdose deaths in Forest County Potawatomi Community. He attributes that to the proactive steps being taken by the tribe and the county. Forest County Potawatomi helps fund drug officers in the Sheriff’s Office.
“I really do believe the tribe has done a lot to take drugs off the street. I think that more than anything is part of the reason why there are not as many overdoses, death-related overdoses because of our services, one, support, but two because we’re really taking the drugs off the street.”
So far this year in Forest County, paramedics have responded to 11 suspected overdoses. Paramedics have had to use Naloxone seven times. Naloxone is a drug used to help people suffering from an overdose.
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