Sudden spike in suspected OD deaths in Scranton

SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – There is another indication the opioid abuse in our region remains a serious problem. The latest example is what’s happening in Scranton where nine people have died of a suspected drug overdose in the past week.

The Lackawanna County coroner says the latest suspected deadly drug overdose happened Wednesday morning in Scranton’s Hill section. As Eyewitness News Reporter Mark Hiller explains, just one week after the statewide initiative Get Help Now the concern and deaths are mounting.

“It is alarming. It’s been alarming since, really 2014.” Just hours after the ninth suspected drug overdose death in Scranton since last Thursday, Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland worries about a drug problem with no end in sight. “The common phraseology is, well, there’s a bad batch going on like this weekend. And it’s not about… they’re all bad batches.”

Scranton’s ninth suspected overdose death in a week – a man in his 20s – follows previous deaths of men and women ranging from their 30s to their 60s. Mr. Rowland suspects fentanyl is to blame. “I see it every day. You know, families that have their whole life ripped out from under them over a single dose of fentanyl.”  

Mr. Rowland says in 2017, 86 suspected overdose deaths were reported in Lackawanna County. It’s a number he says he’s certain will be eclipsed by the end of this year.

Scranton Police Chief Carl Graziano has worked in narcotics investigations much of his career. “27 years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. Chief Graziano and Mr. Rowland serve on the Lackawanna County Opioid Coalition trying to curb the escalation. “It’s so far gone that I don’t know how long it’s going to take before we actually start to see the trend starting to reverse,” said Chief Graziano.

Fentanyl is produced mainly in China and makes its way into the U.S. Mr. Rowland asked, “Could we stop this by dealing with the Chinese government? I mean that’s the question I see.”

Until something changes, resources like the Scranton-based Forever Sammi Foundation focus on treating addiction and decreasing the need for a potentially deadly fix. “Those drug dealers that are coming from other areas will come here and they’ll realize there’s no profit to be made here because there’s no demand,” said Forever Sammi Foundation co-founder Marty Henehan.

Because of the chemical testing involved,  it will take about a month to determine if these recent deaths in Scranton are, in fact, a result of fentanyl or some other opioid. The confirmed number of overdose deaths in Lackawanna County this year stands at 65. Mr. Rowland says there are about 30 suspected cases pending toxicology tests.