Columbia County health officials worried about spike in drug overdoses

The Columbia County Department of Health is warning about three overdoses in two days. Two involved pills containing fentanyl, and one was heroin containing fentanyl. All three people survived.

However, the county is concerned and is once again mobilizing mass distribution of Narcan and fentanyl testing strips.

You can call the addiction recovery center, Greener Pathways, for help. The number is (518) 822-7437.

The center director says so far this year, there have been 73 overdoses in Columbia County, and eight deaths. That’s about 10 more overdoses than this time last year.

It’s not just Columbia County. NewsChannel 13 has been reporting on an increase in overdoses across the Capital Region throughout this pandemic.

There’s a public hearing scheduled to review this. The state Senate Majority is holding the hearing on Wednesday. They’ll review best practices to identify gaps in the current system and develop legislative and budgetary solutions. The hearing begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Van Buren Hearing Room in the Legislative Office Building.