Opioid overdose deaths in Chelan County have increased by 13 so far this year in comparison to last year.
Chelan County Sheriff’s Office reporting at least 10 drug overdose deaths in the Wenatchee area over a recent two week period.
"This is a public health crisis," said Dr. James Wallace, Health Officer for the Chelan Douglas Health District in a presentation to the Health District Board of Directors on suspected opioid overdoses and opioid-related deaths.
"The data we do have is just the tip if the iceberg and there's a lot more going on out there that we're unable to track, and when we can't track it we can't do as much about it," Wallace said.
"With a trend that's going up sharply, this is, I think, what you call a public health crisis," said board member Bill Sullivan.
The health board learned that data from the Washington State Department of Health lags about 2-3 years.
"Improving data is one of our key priorities, and local data, data that can drive interventions is something our teams are working on. If we get better reporting in real time, we can do a better job reviewing overdoses, reviewing deaths that are caused by overdoses and inform our community partners on how best to respond," Dr. Wallace told the board. "And, again building off the current success of our emergency response systems, needs to be a key priority."
The Chelan Douglas Health District discussed the 32 opioid overdose related deaths in Chelan County so far this year. There were 19 such deaths in the county in 2023.
Dr. Wallace says statistics show a downward trend in the dangerous prescribing of opioid medications, along with an increase in treatment opportunities for those battling addiction in the region.
"We also need a better survey of local and regional resources, both behavioral health and health care resources to better intervene," Wallace added. "Support the programs that we got up and running but also recognize where people are unable to receive services and where we need to make improvements there."
Over the past three years, it's been reported that more than 180 overdoses have been reversed in the region because of Naloxone, an opioid reversal medication.
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