Seven fatal overdoses occur in Erie County in one day

Health officials are speaking out after seven drug overdose deaths occurred Monday, according to the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office.

The Erie County Department of Health said toxicology reports will give more information about the drugs involved, but preliminary reports show some form of cocaine was found at each scene.

Three people died in the city of Buffalo, three people died in the city of Tonawanda and one person died in the city of Lackawanna. ECDOH said the ages ranged from their early 40s to early 60s, with six people being men and one woman. Six victims were white and one was Hispanic. In Erie County, year to date through Thursday, June 13, there have been 85 confirmed opioid-related deaths, 20 confirmed non-opioid overdose deaths and 106 suspected deaths for the year, according to the ‘ECDOH.

Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein reminds people of ways to prevent overdoses, including:

• Carry naloxone and know how to use it
• Never use alone. Keep naloxone nearby or use a service like Never Use Alone at neverusealone.com
• Test your medications. Text free naloxone and fentanyl test strips to 716-225-5473. Free test strips are also available at ECDOH by calling 716-858-7695
• Seeking support. Contact ECDOH Peer Navigators and Family Coordinators available at 716-858-7695. The Buffalo and Erie County Substance Abuse Hotline can be reached 24/7 with referrals to 716-831-7007.
• Emergency rooms can connect patients directly to addiction treatment. Ask the MATTERS network. Patients can also be seen at outpatient treatment agencies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 800-622-4357 or visiting any local emergency department. Virtual processing services are also available.

“It’s no longer the same cocaine as it was 30 or 40 years ago. Today, almost all cocaine is laced with fentanyl, even though people may have no intention of using opioids,” Burstein said. “We want people to stay alive. And even if you use cocaine, if you’ve ever used it, you only use it occasionally, you know, we never know what’s in it unless you take a test.”

A Siena College Research Institute study released June 17 reveals that 68% of New Yorkers have been affected by the opioid crisis, up from a total of 59% in 2020.

“Fentanyl has become a major concern on the minds of New Yorkers across the state,” said Don Levy, director of the Siena College Research Institute. “Placed on a list with other public health concerns such as alcohol abuse, mental illness, obesity, use of e-cigarettes or other opioids, “the increasing prevalence of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl” tops the list, accounting for 70% of all synthetic opioids. New Yorkers describe it as “very serious”. Ninety-two percent say the current crisis is more insidious than other crises, as opioid overdoses, including heroin and fentanyl, are killing people at unprecedented rates. Three-quarters of the state supports adding fentanyl analogs to New York’s list of controlled substances.

The study showed that 42% of people prescribed opioids report seeking treatment for abuse, a statistic that nearly doubled from 23% in 2020.