FLORENCE, Ky. — Five people overdosed in Boone County Tuesday, bringing the total to 49 in less than 30 days, according to the Northern Kentucky Health Department.
The spike lead to the health department issuing its second OD alert this summer.
Three of the most recent overdoses, which happened between July 15 and 16, were deadly.
In response to the overdose increase, the health department has recently rolled out pop-up harm reduction tents like the one staffed by Seth Steele on Mall Road in Florence.
"We have harm reduction supplies on the table here," Steele said. "First and foremost, we have naloxone, which is a nasal spray that helps counteract opioid-related overdoses."
Several people approached the pop-up tent during the two-hour long session grabbing fentanyl test strips, naloxone and other harm-reduction supplies that can save the lives of drug users by either avoiding the consumption of the highly potent opiate fentanyl or reversing the effects of an overdose if consumed.
"We know one of the most effective ways to get people into treatment is by providing harm-reduction supplies," Steele said. "Everybody is on their own time frame when they use drugs. So, the key is to keep them alive as long as possible."
Health Department Director Jennifer Mooney said the drug supply in the region is shifting, likely leading to the recent spike in overdoses in Boone County.
She said fentanyl is being introduced into a much wider variety of drugs than before.
"The days of just heroin are long gone," Mooney said. "I think it's anything and everything now. I would say this is not the time to experiment with drugs. Just assume everything is deadly."
The long-term solution to addiction in the region would require a multi-prong collaborative approach involving the health sector, law enforcement like the Boone County Sheriff's Office, lawmakers and more, Mooney said.
In the meantime, the department would be proactive about saving lives.
Mooney said if people can't make it to the pop-up distribution sites, they can visit the Health Department's websiteto request a free naloxone kit be delivered straight to their home through the mail.
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