GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The Kent County Health Department says a record number of people died as a result of opioids in Kent County last year, with indications for 2018 pointing toward another banner year.
Adam London, health officer for the Kent County Health Department, says 93 people died as a result of opioid overdoses last year. That’s up from 65 in 2016 and 84 in 2015.
Last year’s number could rise even further.
“I actually expect that’s going to go up a little bit as some pending cases from the end of the year, the toxicology comes back on those,” London told 24 Hour News 8 Tuesday. “Every third day, someone is dying from opioid overdose in Kent County. That’s a huge problem.”
London said he believed this year’s numbers were on track to be the same or worse. He said specific numbers weren’t available because of how long it takes for toxicology reports to come back.
“It’s a huge deal,” London said. “It is a crisis. It’s a crisis everywhere in the country.”
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