Westover, Md. – Motorists driving along Route 13 southbound have a sobering reminder of the impact of the opioid crisis in Somerset County. The sign at the front of the Maryland State Police Barrack ‘X’ in Westover counts the number of opioid related overdoses and fatalities in the county. Those numbers come from Maryland State Police data and are updated weekly as needed.
To date, the sign reads ‘27 opioid related overdoses and 7 lives lost’. “That means, of those 27 overdoses, seven of them ended as fatalities”, explains Lori Brewster, acting Health Officer for Somerset County and co-chair of the Somerset County Opioid United Team (SCOUT). “Sadly last year those numbers were 26 opioid related overdoses and three fatalities. We have much more work to do”, says Brewster.
The signs numbers will reset to zero on January 1, 2019 and coming in the new year a new sign with larger numbers. This awareness campaign is just one of many initiatives being used to battle the opioid crisis. For information on how you can help yourself or a loved one go to www.somersetrainspurple.com or www.somersethealth.org
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