Washington County Health Department reports significant drop in fatal overdoses
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — The Washington County Health Department released a report that showed a significant drop in fatal overdoses.
Beth and Karl Bechtel are the founders of healing after losing one to a substance, better known as HALOS. They know all too well what it’s like to lose a loved one to a drug overdose after their son passed away about three years ago.
“Our son’s name was Joseph and he was 28 when he passed,” Beth Becktel said.
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“He struggled with addiction for five to eight years.”
When they learned that fatal overdoses in the county had dropped by 22% percent they were happy.
“I just I’m hoping that getting the word out between the health department and you know, parents like us who have been out there pounding the pavement and hopefully, that has contributed to it,” Beth Bechtel said.
With the help of federal funding, the county has completed several initiatives to help combat drugs with more programs and the installation of Narcan vending machines.
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“Those federal dollars allowed us to partner with our local health system and provide this desperately needed service, for an extremely vulnerable population,” Director of Behavioral Health Services, Vicki Sterling stated.
“With continued efforts at education I think that number can drop drastically,” Karl Bechtel said.
The Washington County Health Department also says in 2023 alone 18,000 doses of Narcan were successfully distributed into the community.
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