Arizona Struggling With Opioid Abuse: Scores Of Overdoses, 15 Deaths. And That Was Last Week

That Arizona is struggling with opioid addiction is not news. On June 13, Governor Ducey declared an emergency, ordered detailed tracking to be done, and that those numbers be released. On Monday, the first numbers came out. And they paint a bleak picture.

In the past seven days, there were 191 suspected opioid overdoses. Fifteen of those ended in death,

Eighteen newborns were reported to be undergoing opioid withdrawal symptoms.

Emergency responders dispensed 102 doses of naloxone, referred to as the overdose drug because of its ability to reverse the effects of an overdose. Meanwhile, pharmacists dispensed 51 naloxone kits. (Subscribe to local news alerts on Patch).

"This new, real-time data gives us a clear picture we didn’t have before," said Ducey. "One life lost to these highly addictive drugs is too many. One more person becoming hooked is no longer an option.

"Our public health response will begin working on targeted solutions to curb this opioid epidemic."

State officials say they are working to train more than 700 law enforcement and emergency medical services, or EMS providers, on naloxone administration.

"Our training will expand to public health, clinicians, and pharmacists, to share knowledge on overdose recognition and treatment, naloxone administration, opioid-related reporting, appropriate prescribing practices, and medication assisted treatment," said Dr. Cara Christ, director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The numbers will be updated every Monday.

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