Over the course of the next six days, there would be 16 more cases similar to hers: People found dead or dying in locales across the city— the faces of a drug overdose tally on pace to shatter last year’s record high of 418 in Milwaukee County.
According to data provided on June 11 by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, there were 192 confirmed drug overdose deaths from January 1 to March 19, with 62 more probable cases pending toxicology tests.
The pandemic has left many who struggle with substance abuse out of work, with limited resources and hope, effectively creating roadblocks to recovery, said Michelle Jaskulski, senior director of faith and family programs for the Washington, D.C.-based Addiction Policy Forum.
The Addiction Policy Forum recently conducted a national pilot study to gauge the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with substance-use disorder and found that more than one-third experienced disruptions to treatment or recovery services, and 4 percent reported that an overdose had occurred since the beginning of the pandemic.
On June 11, the City of Milwaukee Health Department announced a $500,000 grant extension from the National Association of City County Health Officials to implement local overdose prevention strategies.
