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Sharp decline in overdose deaths reported in La Crosse County during past year

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La Crosse County reported Tuesday a surprisingly large decrease in drug overdose deaths, compared to previous years, according to Dr. Chris Eberlein.

Is it a one-time drop, or the start of a positive trend?

Eberlein, a physician at Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, said the county went from 55 accidental overdose deaths in 2023 to just 17 in 2024 — a 70 percent drop in just one year, after several years of increases.

“I’d like to think that’s because of a lot of the work that we’ve done,” Eberlein, who has worked with local drug abuse prevention committees, said, “whether it be the street medicine teams, getting out meeting people where they’re at, peer support groups that we’ve had. We’ve also done obviously a lot of Narcan in the community,” referring to the antidote that’s used to halt opioid overdoses.

Dr. Chris Eberlein from Gundersen stands in the Tri-State Ambulance garage on Tuesday.

Eberlein added that, besides the 17 accidental overdoses in the county last year, nine other drug-related deaths were declared suicides. He said that besides the use of Narcan, greater access to mental health resources could also help reduce overdoses in the area.

“We still need to do a lot of work there, ’cause ultimately that’s where we’re gonna get the most benefit for our society,” Eberlein told WIZM News during an interview at Tri-State Ambulance headquarters. “If we can improve our mental health access, and overall mental health, we wouldn’t be having these sort of addiction problems.’

Eberlein is hopeful that the decline in drug deaths will become a trend, especially if ways of treating drug abuse can be increased in the region.

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.

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1 Comment

  1. Jennifer Chase

    February 12, 2025 at 12:08 am

    My son died exactly a year ago. I’m curious why this is the only doctor that has any knowledge of the drug fentynol because he’s the only one that is interviewed on the local news channels and WIZM news. Why wasn’t Narcan available in the correctional facility called the ATTIC? That is a terrible place to send drug addicts after many have died there and not have it available. I would think that probation and JSS would be making sure it was available. That place is known for relapse and I don’t know how it’s still allowed to house anyone at all. Turning a blind eye isn’t fixing shit and it’s not protecting the rights of the ones that are under the rule of the county.

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