State Police says troopers recorded a significant increase in overdoses in the last five days, resulting in at least one fatality and severe medical emergencies.
They add many individuals exhibited symptoms resistant to Naloxone, or Narcan, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdoses.
Preliminary investigations reveal that the substances involved were packaged in small, white wax paper bags that police say are typically associated with heroin.
Beebe Healthcare says they treated 30 individuals for overdoses.
DSP and DHSS issued the advisory Tuesday urging the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid consuming unknown substances and illegal drugs altogether.
This comes after the state recently reported a 1.8 percent decline in overdose deaths from 2022 to 2023, and officials at a recent quarterly response briefing said suspected overdoses so far this year were lower than last year’s numbers.
Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Director Joanna Champney says they are awaiting toxicology results to determine the best solution for this spike.
“We try to stay ahead of the curve with these things but unfortunately, the drug supply is constantly changing so much," she says. "So we access a lot of information that is put out by the DEA and other officials about what they are seeing nationally.”
Champney adds for now, DSAHM has ramped up Narcan distribution in Sussex County, delivering 1,300 kits to Beebe Healthcare Wednesday morning.
“When we know what is in the drug supply that is causing these exacerbated drug poisoning and overdose symptoms, it’s easier for us to respond and to be able to mitigate those issues. Just like with xylazine, the faster we can understand what the side effects and implications of the substance are, the faster we can deploy," Champney says.
