HENDERSON, Ky. — In the last 48 hours, Henderson County has experienced a dramatic increase in overdose calls.
Since Jan. 1, Henderson County alone has experienced 14 overdoses with four of them being fatalities. The overdoses that are believed to be caused by fentanyl or other drugs laced with fentanyl.
“It seems to be happening almost every day here lately,” said Dwight Duncan, colonel with the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department. “It takes a very, very small amount of fentanyl to kill someone. I mean, it’s very, very small. As law enforcement, you have to be very careful with it, with your hands, you need to wear gloves, you don’t want to inhale any of it. It’s a very, very dangerous drug.”
Henderson isn’t the only portion of the state dealing with these issues, as Gov. Andy Beshear explained in his latest Team Kentucky update.
Recently, the Warren County Drug Task Force, Kentucky State Police, and the Kentucky State Police Drug and Addiction Team stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 south of Bowling Green that was carrying 80 pounds of methamphetamine.
“This represents the largest seizure of meth in Warren County’s history,” Beshear said. “Two men were arrested on charges of first degree trafficking in the arrest. Shortly before that, KSP Post 12 troopers in Franklin County also conducted a routine traffic stop for speeding violation. They found approximately two pounds of meth inside that vehicle.”
Duncan responded to a call on an overdose situation at a factory in Henderson. Situations like that are one of the reasons he is stressing the importance of having Narcan on hand.
“I truly believe if they didn’t have it yesterday at the site I went to, he probably would have died right then,” Duncan said. “By the time I got there, he was standing, talking and was completely conscious. He was still groggy and a little hazy but was doing okay, and I think without the Narcan he wouldn’t be with us today.”
While Henderson Police and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office continue their efforts, the agencies are educating the public about the rise in overdoses and resources available within the community.
“We’ve talked about some organizations with the schools, some treatment facilities, and we’re trying to really get any resources we can, anybody that can help us, and we’re still in the early stages of that,” Duncan said. “We’re just trying to think outside the box and do whatever we can to help reduce the deaths in Henderson county.”
Narcan can be obtained free of charge at the Henderson Health Department on weekdays, 8a.m. to 4:30p.m. The Henderson Health Department also has a mobile unit at the Holiday Motel on Wednesdays.
If you or someone you know is currently battling addiction and would like help finding a treatment facility, you can to reach out to the Henderson Police Department or the Henderson Sheriff’s Office and ask about the Angel Initiative.