Overdose spike concerns Columbia County health leaders

The Columbia County Health Department issued an overdose spike alert on Wednesday. This comes after there were several overdoses within a 24-hour period. One person died.

The Twin County Recovery Services in Hudson has a mobile outreach program. They responded Wednesday morning to the areas where the overdoses occurred and handed out harm reduction supplies such as Narcan.

By the afternoon, they were busy replenishing Narcan kits and putting together educational flyers to be sent out to the community.

Robert Hoyt is a part of the mobile outreach program. He says both locally and nationally, they have seen a 30% increase in overdoses.

This time last year, there were 65 overdoses and seven deaths. So far this year, they have had 81 overdoses with 10 deaths.

Hoyt wants people to know that help is out there.

"As bad as the overdose situation that’s quite regularly reported, on the back side of that, I feel there’s just as many avenues and ways of agencies and programs looking to help people improve their situation," said Hoyt.

If you are in Columbia & Greene County and need Narcan and fentanyl strips text NARCANKIT to 21000 or TESTSTRIPS to 77948.

You can also receive help by calling or texting Greener Pathways at (518) 822-7437.