Overdose deaths declined for second straight year in Milwaukee County

Milwaukee County saw a drop in overdose deaths for the second year in a row in 2024 — an encouraging trend for local leaders who have been combatting an opioid epidemic for two decades.

“It’s a little bit of light that finally shines through to see that decline,” said Dr. Ben Weston, the chief health policy advisor for Milwaukee County.  

The latest data from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office found there were 440 confirmed overdose deaths in 2024. That number will likely be higher once pending toxicology results are in. 

Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, said there are still 85 cases pending from 2024. Of those, 25 are probable overdose deaths, according to Domagalski.

There were 668 overdose deaths in Milwaukee County in 2023, down from 674 in 2022, according to the medical examiner’s office data. 

If all the probable overdose deaths are confirmed, the total drug fatalities for 2024 will still have fallen more than 30 percent from the previous year.

The prospect of a double-digit percent decline is encouraging to Jonathan Belott, the manager of a Milwaukee Fire Department team that offers support to people who have overdosed.

“It doesn’t mean, by any means, that our work is done,” Belott said. “It’s a step in the right direction.” 

The decline comes as overdose deaths are trending down across the nation and state. The most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found overdose deaths were down an estimated 3 percent in 2023, the first annual decrease in five years.

Harm reduction is working, experts say 

Leaders in Milwaukee County have been working to flood the community with harm reduction supplies, including Narcan —  a medication used to reverse an opioid overdose — and fentanyl test strips. Vending machines filled with the free supplies have been placed throughout the county. First responders have also been handing out kits with Narcan and fentanyl test strips, which they call “Hope Kits.”

In 2023, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors allocated $11 million it received from a settlement against pharmaceutical companies to 15 projects focused on prevention, education and treatment.

Ricky Person, an opioid prevention counselor with Milwaukee County, leads a team that goes door to door handing out harm reduction kits in areas that have seen a large number of overdoses. Person said he and his team have distributed 2,000 kits since July. The bags also include information about recovery and treatment services.

“It’s just the beginning,” Person said about the decline. “We still have work to do and I think collectively, that’s what we’re working on doing, is just continuing this fight to save lives.” 

Weston says the approach is working. 

“Harm reduction is really just that — it’s reducing the harm from folks who use substances, and specifically who use opioids,” Weston said. 

“We have to remember that every death prevented is the potential for rehabilitation, the potential for somebody to stop using opioids,” he added. 

Belott manages the Milwaukee Fire Department team that oversees the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative. The effort launched in 2019. His team responds when someone has overdosed, offering support and services.

Belott said the team includes a peer support specialist who has “lived experience.” They talk about treatment and resources available. Belott said they also hand out Hope Kits.

“We just want it (harm reduction tools) out in the community so that we have the best chance to save more lives,” Belott said. 

The majority of overdose deaths involve fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that’s around 100 times stronger than morphine. The kits that Person and his team distribute also include Xylazine test strips. Overdoses involving a combination of Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” are on the rise across the county and nation.

“You’ll have someone thinking they’re going to use a stimulant, and they’re actually using a stimulant that is laced with fentanyl or laced with Xylazine,” Person said.

Weston said he believes medication-assisted treatment programs are also leading to the drop in overdose deaths. People in those programs take medication that help treat the symptoms of withdrawl and reduce cravings for opioids.

“These are maintenance medications,” Weston said. “People can hold a job, they can raise a family, they can do all the things that any anybody else would do in their life while they’re on these medications. And making medication-assisted treatment much more available, and breaking down the barriers to that, has been happening over several years, but has really taken off over the last few years.” 

In a statement, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley said there’s still more work that needs to be done to keep overdose deaths down.

“While we’ve seen encouraging progress with a decline in opioid-related overdoses throughout our community, we know there’s more work to do,” Crowley stated. “My administration will continue deploying upstream investments for transformative substance use prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery efforts.”