Fentanyl overdose deaths not slowing in Stanislaus County

A coalition set up a display of 213 empty chairs at Vintage Faire Mall in Modesto to represent the number of deaths from drug overdoses or poisonings in 2023 in Stanislaus County. Each chair was for someone’s son, daughter or friend.

New numbers released Thursday show a disturbing trend continues with the fentanyl crisis. The county has recorded 48 total drug overdose deaths from the start of January through early May, of which 33 were attributed to illegal fentanyl.

People with the county Opioid Safety Coalition didn’t see an improvement in the new numbers, as four to five county residents die every week from a drug-related overdose. The 48 total overdose deaths may seem like an improvement, but the data is incomplete because of the lag time of a few months for getting test results for cases. A significant number of cases since January are still being investigated and are awaiting test results, which will add to the totals.

Of the 213 fatalities due to all drugs last year, a record 138 were caused by fentanyl. The total number of deaths last year was a 21% increase over 2022, while fentanyl deaths increased by 8%.

Evidence shows the county, state and nation are caught in a wave of polysubstance use that marks the fentanyl crisis.

Dr. Kelly Olson of Millennium Health said at Thursday’s Opioid Safety Coalition meeting that drug overdose deaths often involve a combination of fenta