FRANKLIN – For the Fourth friday in a row Franklin County Cornoner Dr. Anahi Ortiz says they have seen overdose deaths.
Dr. Ortiz said that they have six overdose deaths yesterday friday 24, 2020.
The coroner is asking for, “people to carry narcan on hand, use fentanyl test strips and call 911 for an overdose. Families and friends check on your loved ones who use frequently, consider Thursday, Friday and Saturday to check in and talk.”
From January 1 to December 31, 2019 the Franklin County Coroner’s Office saw 597 people die of overdoses. This is approximately an increase of 14% from the same period last year.
Opioid-related deaths accounted for almost 91% of overdose deaths in 2019, a 13% increase over 2018 and a 28% from 2017. Fueling this was fentanyl, which accounted for 81% of all overdose deaths. Fentanyl overdose deaths increased 16% from 2018 and 39% from 2017. Cocaine accounted for nearly 41% of the overdose deaths in 2019, an 18% increase from the year prior and a 29% increase from 2017.1
