This article came out last night saying that West Michigan, specifically Calhoun and Kalamazoo county, have a higher rate of fentanyl overdoses than the rest of the state combined. Calhoun county Medical Director Dr. William Nettleton says death rate per 100,000 people in 2016 nearly doubled the rate of the entire state. Many public officials say the only way to combat this widespread addiction is to come together as a community.
What do you think W Michigan can do to reduce fentanyl OD's? Do you find it surprising that W Michigan has so many more OD's than the rest of the state?
http://wwmt.com/news/local/opioid-deaths-involving-fentanyl-quadrupled-in-two-years
Very scary to see this epidemic affecting our area like this! I knew that heroin and fentanyl were both big problems in the area, but it was surprising to see it’s gotten this bad
ReplyDeleteVery scary! I agree with you Sai, this is very surprising to see.
DeleteI also find it scary that our area is struggling so bad. I think the location of I-94 has been a contributing factor.
DeleteI wonder how Calhoun and Kalamazoo counties compare demographically and socio-economically to those communities in Ohio that have been affected by the crisis the most.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Victoria on this, there needs to be funds set aside for this. I think also a public education program would help too spread awareness.
ReplyDeleteIt's weird to think that it is happening right where we live...last week they made an arrest on West Main by our campus with meth-related possession. I don't know what can be done...the first books suggest that legalizing drugs can work, but I don't know if there is an infrastructure to treat addicts.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Guillermo. Like Portugal, legalizing drugs would only work if addicts are provided treatment as well.
DeleteI agree with both Victoria and Travis. Naloxone should be made available and easy to access and education programs could go a long way in prevention and making people aware of the problem. I am not all that surprised that our area is affected due to the socio economic status of many in the area.
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty crazy. I think increasing support for the treatment of addicts is the best thing we can do.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, pretty crazy stuff. We're shielded from the poverty and struggles going around downtown Kalamazoo since many of us are on around campus most of the time, but these issues are happening right next to us and pretty much everywhere else in the U.S.
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