Cook County residents continue to die of opioid overdoses at an unprecedented rate, with fatalities reaching an all-time high last year, according to data released Tuesday.
at an unprecedented rate, with fatalities reaching an all-time high last year, according to data released Tuesday.
Overdose deaths in the county have risen nearly every year since 2018. Opioid deaths were only a fraction of today’s levels in 2015, when 676 overdose deaths were recorded. "We can address the possibility of an overdose and at the same time use that interaction to link people to treatment services," Jimenez said. "Use that experience to develop relationships to offer other options to people besides drug use. Overdose prevention sites offer the opportunity to talk with people about those kinds of changes while providing a safe context for their drug use.
The latest numbers from the medical examiner’s office reflect the opioid overdose epidemic that now claims the lives of more than 100,000 people in the U.S. every year, according to theThe epidemic has been fueled by a spike in fentanyl in the drug supply, and the isolation related to COVID-19-related lockdowns. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of injury-related deaths, the CDC says.
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