Family & Home
Overdose deaths double in La Crosse County during 2020
A troubled year, dominated by a pandemic, may have led to a surge in drug overdose deaths in La Crosse County.
The county’s Alliance to HEAL counts COVID-19 among the factors which may have led to 38…possibly 40…deadly overdoses in 2020.
The increase followed several years of drug deaths in the county going down, partly because of the widespread use of Narcan by first responders to revive people who had overdosed.
The Alliance believes COVID-19 may have been a factor in overdose deaths rising last year in La Crosse County.
On the more positive side, the Alliance says more than 800 doses of Narcan were distributed in the area, to save many people who had overdosed, and the county continues to collect used drug needles in drop boxes.