Jefferson County Sees Fewest Overdose Deaths In 8 Years

Doreen Slocum started doing drugs in her early teens, and – like many – it didn’t take long for her to get into the hard ones.

“I would say probably fully blown heroin by the time I was 19,” she said.

She has since turned her life around. She’s now in recovery and works as a peer advocate at Credo Community Center. She’s also part of a growing trend.

“I have overdosed two times, from Fentanyl. I made it back with Narcan, luckily, so I am still here to tell about it,” she said.

And others are still here, too. According to a report from the Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s Office, overdose deaths are at their lowest in the county in eight years; and when it comes to overdose deaths including opiates, that number’s at its lowest in nine years.

“Well, we are cautiously optimistic about it because we’ve put a lot of effort into place in terms of infrastructure to help people with their drug addiction and to help them recover and stay recovered,” said Stephen Jennings, public health planner with Jefferson County Public Health.

Jennings attributes the decrease in overdose deaths this past year to raising awareness of the opioid epidemic in all sectors of society from law enforcement and schools, to the health care system and the addition of Anchor Recovery Center in downtown Watertown. 

Anita Seefried-Brown, the project director at the Alliance for Better Communities, a substance abuse recovery center, says there are other reasons too.

“The advent of the higher acceptance of medication assisted therapies, such a Vivitrol, Methadone, and Suboxone,” she said.

She also attributed the decrease to the 911 Good Samaritan law, which prevents prosecution for those who call in a heroin overdose, even if they possess it or are on it themselves. Parts of a growing trend in a community hoping to effect change.