MILWAUKEE — The City of Milwaukee, along with local officials, held a press conference Tuesday after 18 people in Milwaukee County died from an overdose since Saturday.
According to a media alert from the city, the 18 deaths reported since Saturday may be the sign of a possible "bad batch." The average age of the overdose victims is 50 years old.
The 18th death was reported Wednesday afternoon.
Dr. Ben Weston, Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor, said during a press conference Tuesday that at least four of them were among the homeless population.
The city said 14 of the overdoses were in Milwaukee, one was in West Allis, and one was in South Milwaukee.
Watch: Press conference from city officials regarding overdose deaths
"With one death every 16 hours, the overdose epidemic has become a public health crisis," a press release from the city states.
To address the growing crisis, the Milwaukee Fire Department, West Allis Fire Department, South Milwaukee Fire Department, and all city and county agencies came together to urge the community to "take note of the dangers of opioid use and to take preventative measures."
The city said it is a dangerous time to use and individuals should be aware of the risks associated with opioid use, including fentanyl additives.
"You never know what people are putting in drugs right now, you never know," said Marty Calderon, a pastor for many years on the south side of Milwaukee.
Calderon said he's spent years trying to get men clean and praying that others never become addicted. He said he knew one of the men who died over the weekend. According to the ME's office, it was an accidental overdose.
"He was just someone who really cared. And this is devastating news. You know, I just talked to him about three weeks, a month ago. He was very excited about some of the things he was doing," said Calderon.
The pastor encourages support groups — like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous — to get help.
"If you're not in a good program, it's not going to work," he said. "You need to be held accountable. You need to be with people who have struggled the way you have struggled in order to overcome those challenges."
The Milwaukee Health Department issued the following statement:
Over the weekend of April 1, 2023, Milwaukee County tragically lost 17 residents to overdose fatalities. The overdose epidemic is a public health crisis, and the Milwaukee Health Department urges all residents to take an active role in helping to prevent overdose deaths.
“Overdose deaths are devastating and preventable,” said Milwaukee Interim Health Commissioner Tyler Weber. “We at the Milwaukee Health Department express our deepest sympathies to the loved ones of those whose lives were lost over the weekend. Our work aims to help those who use drugs and the communities of those who use drugs by providing education, resources, and tools to prevent overdose deaths. We are committed to continuing this work until no other families have to experience the heartbreak of overdose.”
The Milwaukee Health Department continues to provide resources to the community to combat overdose. In 2022, MHD distributed 1,546 Narcan kits and 10,954 fentanyl test strips to the Milwaukee community. In addition to distribution of supplies, MHD staff are working to provide trainings on Narcan nasal spray administration and fentanyl test strips throughout the community. If an individual or organization is interested in a training please reach out to the MHD harm reduction team via email at harmreduction@milwaukee.gov.
Substance misuse and opioid use disorder can affect anyone. It is a problem that crosses all socioeconomic and demographic lines, so it’s important for everyone to be educated on how to prevent or stop an overdose. HOPE Kits, distributed through the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative (MORI), contain fentanyl test strips, Narcan nasal spray with instruction card, one single-use CPR face shield, and harm reduction, treatment, and community resource information cards. These life-saving kits are available, for free, at any Milwaukee Fire Department station.
The Milwaukee Health Department urges everyone who uses recreational drugs to test for fentanyl every time. Test for your safety and the safety of your loved ones. Those who are struggling with addiction are encouraged to seek professional help. Every overdose that is reversed or avoided due to the use of test strips or Narcan is not only another life saved, but another opportunity for rehabilitation.
“Our goal is to remove the stigma and provide resources with no questions asked,” said Weber. “Getting tools and education in the hands of every Milwaukeean is how we save our community from overdose deaths.”
Milwaukee County to install 25 vending machines with free items to prevent, reverse opioid overdoses
By: Ben Jordan
Vending machines are commonplace in your office or gym to conveniently dispense food, drinks, and snacks. Milwaukee County just unveiled its plans to utilize the machines to offer items that can prevent or reverse drug overdoses.
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley signed a bill Monday to dedicate $11 million in opioid settlement funds to launch an initiative to address the opioid crisis in the county. Part of those funds was used to purchase several "harm reduction vending machines."
"Everything in this vending machine is free to the public,” said Milwaukee County Behavior Health Division’s Prevention Manager Jeremy Triblett.
Fentanyl test strips, Narcan nasal spray, and medication lock boxes are all items currently handed out by several local organizations. Triblett says the county is taking a proactive approach to make them available at the click of a button.
"This is not a trophy item, this is a container to help save lives,” he said.
The first harm reduction vending machine is already in place at the Marcia Coggs Human Services Building. Triblett says several others will be installed at local churches, public libraries, and restaurants.
"The idea is, what if we can put this in places you're already going to, that decreases the likelihood that you'll feel stigmatized, it decreases the likelihood you'll potentially feel uncomfortable," he said.
Triblett says the investment comes at a time when the need has never been greater.
The latest data from the medical examiner’s office shows fentanyl-related overdoses claimed the lives of 462 people in Milwaukee County last year alone. That’s more than homicides, suicides, and car crashes combined.
"Every 16 hours somebody is dying of an opioid overdose and it trickles to all the people around them,” said Milwaukee County Chief Health Policy Advisor Dr. Ben Weston.
Dr. Weston says a horse tranquilizer called Xylazine is creeping into the illegal drug supply, making the fentanyl crisis even more dangerous.
"The reason it's added is because it seems to prolong the effect,” he said.
Medical examiner data shows 48 people fatally overdosed on the combination of fentanyl and Xylazine in 2022, an increase from four in 2020, and one in 2019.
"The other problem with Xylazine is this nasal spray,” Dr. Weston said. “The Naloxone nasal spray is great for overdoses. It does nothing for Xylazine."
While Triblett acknowledges items in the harm reduction vending machines cannot detect or reverse overdoses caused by Xylazine, he says the items are effective on the county’s most prevalent deadly drug which is fentanyl alone.
"That is what creates the urgency for us to ensure we increase the access for people and empower them to use supplies so that one day we'll have more people that said reversed overdoses than people that said we lost someone because of them,” he said.
Triblett says at least one harm reduction vending machine will be installed in each of the county’s 19 municipalities.
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