LANSING, Mich. — Sparrow Hospital’s Department of Pathology Department recently released numbers for drug-related deaths in the mid-Michigan area.
Data shows those deaths are up by more than 22% from this time last year.
“This quarterly report actually compared all the years that we’ve been recording, which is for the past 4 years .,” said Michelle Fox with Sparrow Hospital’s Department of Pathology Department. “We have record from the first quarter, and we could definitely see the increase.”
The data is collected from Ingham, Shiawassee, Isabella, Ionia, and Eaton Counties.
So, let’s break down the numbers, so far this year, there have been 49 drug-related deaths in those 5 counties. That’s up from 41 deaths in the first quarter of 2020 and 33 deaths in the first quarter of 2019.
“We always see our Opioids and Fentanyl deaths going on the rise,” Fox said.
Opioid deaths are up 28 % and Fentanyl deaths are up 50 %. However, there was a 36 percent decrease in Cocaine deaths.
The data also found that of those 49 deaths so far this year, 70% of those people had two or more substances in their system.
“We run toxicology testing, so we get a clear idea of what substances are in a person’s system,” Fox said.
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has resources for those who may be battling drug addiction. Click here for more information.
