News
Non-Fatal Drug Overdoses Down by 40 Percent in Huntington, WV
By: Associated Press
Posted on:
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) – Records show one West Virginia county’s non-fatal drug overdose totals fell by 40 percent in 2018 compared with the year prior.
The Herald-Dispatch reports Cabell County EMS recorded 1,089 overdose reports in 2018 compared to 1,831 overdoses in 2017. The records also show Cabell County had fewer overdoses in each individual month of 2018 compared with the same months in 2017.
Cabell County EMS compliance officer Connie Priddy tracks the medical statistics and says “it doesn’t even look like the same city now.”
Cabell-Huntington Health Department physician director Michael Kilkenny says there’s no single cause for the decline. Rather, he said it is likely a combination of factors including more education and preventive efforts.