16 Overdoses In One Hour, In One South Jersey Community

They call it "free giveaway day" as a way to get people hooked, so they can become new customers. And it worked.

And paramedics found themselves scrambling in Camden on Wednesday as they revived numerous people from opioid ODs - at one point saving 16 in an hour.

Emergency personnel told NBC10 Philadelphia that they were saving two people at the same, injecting Narcan into two victims almost side-by-side.

"We would get dispatched to a location and find two patients overdosed," Cooper EMS Chief Steve Hale told NBC10, noting that his team typically sees nine drug overdoses in a day.

It happened at 6 a.m. Wednesday on the streets of Camden, according to the report. That same day, dealers were holding the so-called "free giveaway day."

Read more: Video Shows N.J. Police Saving Woman From Heroin Overdose

None of the patients who overdosed Wednesday morning died thanks to the medics' efforts, according to the report, but the chief worries that could change as the opioid epidemic worsens.

"It's crushing us," Hale told the station. "The overdose patients and the volume of Narcan we're giving."

Camden has routinely appeared near the top of the list of New Jersey towns with overdose cases. But the problem, which President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on Thursday, is not confined to the state's urban areas.

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While some city school districts - such as Paterson and Elizabeth - routinely appear at the top of the list, others - such as Toms River - have seen a rise in the reporting of drug and alcohol cases over the years.

Read more: 282 New Jersey School Districts With Most Drug, Alcohol Cases, New Data Shows

Patch file photo