Montgomery County Sees Slight Decrease In Overdose Deaths From One Year Ago
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Montgomery County officials point to some good news among some grim statistics, as they release the number of overdose deaths from the first half of this year.
"This is by no means a victory lap," said Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh.
Arkoosh says the county had five fewer overdose deaths in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period of 2016, bucking the trend seen in across southeastern Pennsylvania.
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"Across the eight-county Philadelphia region during the first half of 2017, drug related deaths increased by 50-percent."
Arkoosh says they want to recognize the work by police and EMS in administering Naloxone to reverse deadly opioid overdoses. It's a sentiment echoed by Steven Harris from West Pottsgrove, who was revived multiple times before he finally got into rehab and turned his life around.
"I just wanna encourage law enforcement and the EMTs and all who are working on those who are struggling with addiction to hang in there," Harris said, "because it's not a lost cause."