The Chicago Department of Public Health issued an alert after a surge in opioid-related overdoses during the recent heatwave.
Over the weekend, CDPH reported 60 opioid-related overdoses, and emergency personnel responded to at least 37 calls within 24 hours on Saturday.
“I do think this weekend was a little bit mixed because of the high temperatures, and I think people who use drugs were dealing with some other factors with this weekend’s spike in overdoses, such as the high temperatures,” said Fanya Burford-Berry, West Side Heroin/ Opioid Task Force director.
Burford-Berry told NBC Chicago that teams continue to raise awareness about Narcan, the live-saving medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, and harm-reduction strategies.
“I feel hopeful every year there is a dramatic decrease in fatal overdoses on the West Side of Chicago,” she said. “Of course there’s still more work to do, but we see that.”
CDPH said the largest number of overdoses happened in four neighborhoods: Austin, West Garfield Park, North Lawndale, and New City.
“Warming weather overall does contribute to higher levels of overdose activity for many different substances, not just opioid related,” said Miao Jenny Hua, CDPH medical director and deputy commissioner for behavioral health. “Heat does make people more vulnerable. We know a lot of people who overdose have existing medical vulnerabilities. They might already have breathing issues, heart issues, and when you add the heat component as well as the overdose component on top of it, it makes for a much more dangerous mix.”
CDPH said it’s collecting test samples to see what was circulating in the community as outreach teams fan out more resources.
“Something I really want to end with: We all rise when we help each other,” he said. “That is a very important concept that we’re using for the community to help support within itself.”
Passionate about healthcare and public service, Devarsh Shah from Chicago’s northwest suburbs is hitting the streets this weekend with the West Side Heroin and Opioid Task Force in hopes of saving a life.
“I’ve had this great privilege of being in rooms where people shared the pain and loss of their loved ones. This deeply stuck with me,” Shah said. “I knew I couldn’t sit from the sidelines and watch.”
The incoming freshman at the University of Illinois Chicago will be at Garfield Park near Lake Street and Homan Avenue to give away Narcan and educate the public on how to use it.
“I was selected by CADCA, an anti-drug coalition as one of 10 students across the nation, and I’m proud to represent Illinois as a public health youth leader,” he said. “Essentially, we’re tasked to find different issues going on in our neighborhood that are related to anti-drug issues.”
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