The Warren County Sheriff’s Office has unveiled a new online database to better educate the public about drug overdoses in Warren County in light of increased substance use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The goal of the Warren County Overdose Response Dashboard is to raise awareness of the substance use issues in our community and to help coordinate community response.
“Warren County’s new Overdose Response Dashboard is a resource that law enforcement, first responders, and service providers can utilize as a tracking system to benefit our community,” explained Warren County Sheriff Jim LaFarr. “Timely access to the data contained on the dashboard will enable us to quickly respond to a sudden increase, or spike, in overdose events or bad batches, which we hope will save lives. The data not only provides actionable intelligence for public health efforts, it will also assist us to better understand how to combat the ever-changing opioid crisis.“
The website breaks down 2021 overdoses by drug type, community, age of the individual and whether there was a fatality. It also details use of the opioid antidote Naloxone and the types of agency response to the overdoses.
Carrie Wright, Co-Chair of the Criminal Justice and Community Services Task Force in the Office of Community Services for Warren and Washington Counties, said the COVID-19 pandemic has caused community focus to slip away from substance use, which has led to increased overdose deaths.
“This platform is a valuable tool that will allow community stakeholders to develop a strategic response to potential overdose spikes in our area, particularly in light of the current prevalence of fentanyl and other compounds in the drug supply,” Wright noted. “It allows the public to see how many Narcan administrations are taking place and can help show the value of harm reduction and continued community education. The transparency and ease of this platform will help galvanize efforts to embrace the idea that all pathways lead to recovery as well as help our community better plan for services and programs to support our loved ones.”
The site, which can be found at this link, was designed by Warren County Planning & Community Development under the auspices of the Sheriff’s Office and the Glens Falls Police Department.