Seven fatal overdoses occur in Erie County in one day

Health officials are speaking out after seven overdose deaths took place on Monday, June 17, 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 that a form of cocaine was found at each scene.

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

Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein is reminding people of ways to prevent overdose including:

• Carrying naloxone and knowing how to use it
• Never using alone. Keep naloxone nearby or use a service like Never Use Alone at neverusealone.com
• Testing your drugs. Text 716-225-5473 to have naloxone and fentanyl test strips mailed to you for free. Free test strips are also available at the 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 Addictions Hotline can be contacted 24/7 with referrals at 716-831-7007
• Emergency rooms can connect patients directly with medication addiction treatment. Ask for MATTERS Network. Patients can also be seen at outpatient treatment agencies 24/7 by calling 800-622-4357 or by going to any local emergency department. Virtual treatment services are also available.

“It’s not the same cocaine as it was 30, 40 years ago. Now almost all the cocaine is laced with fentanyl, even though people may have no intention to use any opioids at all,” said Burstein. “We want people to stay alive. And even if you’re using cocaine, used it before, you only use it occasionally, you know, we never know what’s in it unless you get a test.”

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

“Fentanyl has become a serious concern in the minds of New Yorkers all across the state,” said Don Levy, Siena College Research Institute director. “Placed in a list with other public health issues such as alcohol abuse, mental illness, obesity, e-cigarette use, or other opioids, ‘the growing prevalence of synthetic opioids such as fentanyl’ rises to the top, with 70% of all New Yorkers describing it as ‘very serious.’ Ninety-two percent say that the current crisis is more insidious than other crises as overdosing on opioids including heroin and fentanyl is killing people at previously unheard of rates. Three-quarters of the state support adding fentanyl analogs to New York’s controlled substances list.”

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