67 People Died From Heroin Overdoses In Milwaukee County Last Year

Milwaukee County, the most populous county in the state, had 67 people die last year from heroin-related overdoses.

The medical examiner in Milwaukee County says heroin deaths are up 600 percent from 10 years ago. First responders know how bad the heroin problem is. Ken Sternig, who directs Emergency Medical Services for the county, says paramedics last year administered 225 doses of Narcan, which reverses opiate overdose: “Some of which were obvious, known opiate overdoses because of the presence of drug paraphernalia or a witness admitting something, and that may have included some patients who were not suffering from an opiate overdose for whom the Narcan was not effective.”

Sternig believes the number of deaths in Milwaukee County would probably have been higher if not for intervention. He believes a recently passed law expanding who can administer Narcan will help.

“Basic life support providers being able to do it, law enforcement,” said Sternig. “The law enforcement in some parts of Wisconsin – as first responders they may there five, 10, 15 minutes before the ambulance, because the ambulance is coming from a half-hour away.”

Data from the Wisconsin Department of Justice shows the number of heroin cases sent to the state crime lab has been rising over the past couple years in almost every county.