BROOME – Broome County District Attorney Stephen Cornwell Jr. sparked controversy Thursday, Sept. 1, issuing a public health warning after five more heroin overdose deaths were reported in Broome County during the last week of August.
The five latest deaths bring the total number of overdose deaths to 14 for the month of August – making it the deadliest month on record for overdose deaths in Broome County. The total of overdose deaths in the county has now risen to 58. Cornwell said that 53 deaths were attributed to opioid overdoses in the County in 2015.
Heroin overdoses have been plaguing the entire United States over the last number of years, and in particular, New York State. In March of this year, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that independent pharmacies could provide Naloxone to their customers without a prescription. Naloxone – also known as Narcan – is a medication that reverses opioid overdose. In a statement prepared by the Governor’s Office, it was said, 'Improved accessibility to the medication is one of the priorities at the center of the Governor’s fight to end opioid abuse in New York State.'
Closer to home, in Chenango County, District Attorney Joseph McBride, said, “In Chenango County, the presence of out of town drug dealers has dropped over the past eight months. There is obviously still a big heroin problem in our community, but I want to thank all law enforcement and all the residents of Chenango County for their help in combatting the drug problem. Nothing could make me or our office happier.”
McBride deferred issues regarding Cornwell's comments to the Chenango County Department of Public Health.
In previous correspondence with The Evening Sun during the month of October, 2015, with regard to the number of overdose deaths in Chenango County, Matt Beckwith, who is the fire coordinator and Director of emergency management for Chenango County, said, “It is very difficult to pull up the statistics for this. While we know it is a growing trend, from the records aspect it is very difficult to chart,” he continued, “From the Dispatch center prospective, the Dispatchers may simply not know. For example, during the 911 call, the caller will tell the Dispatcher the patient has possibly overdosed or is unconscious with no idea why (or so they indicate to the Dispatcher). An overdose call could be a person whom simply felt they took too many prescription medications accidentally or had a reaction to their medications.”
Beckwith explained that the Department of Health has asked for specific reports of when Narcan is administered to a patient in an attempt to ascertain better numbers of heroin overdoses in the Chenango County.
“We have asked the Region for a report specific for Chenango County on the number of Narcan administrations from providers along with the number of reports where the patient was known to have overdosed on Heroin,” said Beckwith. “All in all, there is really no good way to track these types of calls yet, but we are working to compile numbers to show the increasing trend (which we know is happening).”
At the time of print Friday morning, neither Beckwith nor the Chenango County Department of Health were available for comment, both were contacted by The Evening Sun.