A sharp rise in overdoses among minors is causing concern in one Central New York county.
In Oneida County, there was a 150% increase in overdoses among minors in 2021 compared to 2020, according to officials.
“It’s concerning when we’re seeing these overdoses intentional and unintentional, when we’re seeing them in people 18 and younger,” said Lisa Worden, Oneida County Opioid Task Force coordinator.
Since Dec. 1, there were nine overdoses involving minors.
Last year, there were 25 overdoses, 17 of which were intentional. That’s compared to a total of 10 overdoses involving minors in 2020.
“This is just an indicator of what might be happening on a larger scale. So we thought it was important enough to bring attention to this, because our young people are struggling and they may need some extra attention and help,” Worden said.
The Oneida County Overdose Response Team issued a spike alert, and not only due to the increase in minors overdosing.
“There were seven heroin/cocaine overdoses in the last three days. That is separate from the overdoses involving minors, involving children,” Oneida County Sheriff Robert Maciol said.
The sheriff said there is typically a spike in intentional overdoses around the holidays.
He said spike alerts are usually issued to notify families of potential “bad batches” of drugs or other underlying issues.
“We want to make sure that folks who need to be equipped with Narcan are equipped with Narcan. And at the same time, we’re hoping maybe, if there is someone out there fighting heroin addiction, sees that and realizes that maybe, whether it’s the time I stop or this is something I need to be on the lookout for,” said Maciol.
It is difficult to identify precisely why there was a spike in overdoses, especially among minors, but the Oneida County Overdose Response Team feels the pandemic is a major contributor.
“When we’re seeing an increase in some of these things like intentional overdoses, that’s an indication of underlying mental health issues. And if those things are increasing during the pandemic, we can safely make an assumption that there is a connection,” said Worden.
