HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Michigan health officials say drug overdoses have risen by almost 20% between 2016 and 2016.
According to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Michigan had over 2,300 deaths related to drug overdoses recorded last year. That number is up from 1,981 in 2016.
In Ottawa County, 14 drug overdoses occurred in Ottawa County in 2015 and 26 in 2016, according to the Ottawa County Department of Health. So far, seven have occurred just this year.
These rates could still rise, as new death certificates are finalized by county coroners.
Opiod-deaths remain the most common type of overdose, with drugs like fentanyl (a patch given to heroin addicts to wean them off opiates), hydrocodone(Vicodin) and oxycodone(Oxycontin) made more readily available through doctor prescriptions. About 20% of deaths in Michigan involved heroin, an illegally made opioid, without the presence of prescription opioids.
