FREDERICK, Md. (AP) - One Maryland county is seeing a dip in the number of opioid overdoses so far this year.
The Frederick News Post reports that Frederick County has seen a near 30 percent decline compared to this time last year.
Police responded to a record-high 409 overdoses in 2016, 54 of them fatal. This year, 143 people overdosed through the end of May with 19 dying.
Frederick police Lt. Clark Pennington attributes the decline to collaborative efforts with the county health department and sheriff’s office. For instance, grants in 2016 paid for a peer recovery coach and a heroin coordinator to work throughout the county.
The coach connects addicts identified by police with recovery services. The coordinator identifies trends in overdose data to help police and the sheriff’s office focus their efforts.
___
Information from: The Frederick (Md.) News-Post, https://www.fredericknewspost.com
Please read our comment policy before commenting.