SHOREWOOD -- The opioid epidemic has exploded in Milwaukee County. 343 people have died of drug overdoses last year. More than half were opioid-related.
We met with a Shorewood leaders who helped create a guide book for anyone to download online to help save lives.
The data compiled over the course of a year by North Shore community leaders shows 60 percent of those addicted to heroin are male. The majority die in their own home at about 35 years old.
The rate of heroin overdoses has also increased by 300 percent on the North Shore in the past decade.
Jan Zehren tells us she's lost too many students to this addiction.
"Parents feel like they're in this by themselves. It's really sad to go to a young person's funeral," Jan Zehren, Teacher at Shorewood Intermediate School.
Ann Christiansen, Health Director at the North Shore Health Department tells us the guide helps families find signs of addictive behavior and seek help, even during a drug overdose. It also shares ways to keep your children out of harm, even in your own home.
If you would like to read the guide, click here.
This guide was created by the North Shore Health Department, REDgen and Starting Point Ozaukee County.
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