The opioid epidemic continues to affect every corner of our state.

According to the latest data from the New York State Department of Health, there was a 14% increase in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021. There was also a nearly 13% climb in outpatient emergency department visits due to opioids and an almost 12% increase in EMS personnel having to administer Narcan.

Narcan is a life-saving drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose.

And now, many counties are giving it out for free to help turn the tide on this major public health crisis. In the Southern Tier, one county is using it as part of a program designed to save lives.

“The first weekend we had over 40. Now we’ve had over 70,” said Lorelei Wagner, as she described the Narcan kit. “We do provide two doses of Narcan in each kit."

Wagner is the public health education coordinator for Steuben County. The issue there is opioid overdoses.

“The interesting thing about Narcan is it knocks the opioid off of the receptor," Wagner said. "So it essentially stops the high and takes the place of it, stops the overdose.”

Steuben County reported 289 opioid overdoses in 2022. Twelve people there died. In this rural county, the size of the state of Rhode Island, which stretches from the Finger Lakes to the Southern Tier, the numbers have more than doubled from just two years prior. And it’s not just in the more populated areas.

“We are seeing it across the county," said Wagner.

As part of a plan to save lives, the county is mailing free Narcan kits to people who ask for them. People can first watch a short training video and then fill out a request form.  

“We have seen that they know someone who has overdosed or they know someone who does use or for their job they feel like it would be a benefit for them to have Narcan on hand," Wagner said.

Wagner says the presence of fentanyl in some drugs has made using more dangerous — even deadly. The public health department is just one of several agencies and groups trying to reduce the number of opioid overdoses and deaths. Narcan is one tool in an ongoing fight.

“I don't think anyone is going in with the intention to overdose, but having something available so that someone doesn't die, which lets them have the option of recovering, which lets them have the option of living a better life in the future, that's really the overall goal is to save lives," said Wagner.