There continues to be good news in the fight of overdose deaths in Chautauqua County, dropping by more than 50% in a year.

During the recent county Board of Health meeting, Steve Kilburn, county substance use and addiction services coordinator, gave a presentation about drug addiction in the county.

Kilburn displayed a graph that shows that in 2023, there were 61 overdose deaths.

In 2024, there were 29.

In March 2024, county officials for the first time noted the drop in overdose deaths, but expressed caution that it was too early to predict if this was a temporary pause or the start of a new trend.

The positive news continued through the summer, with overdose deaths down by 51%.

The 29 overdose deaths in Chautauqua County are the fewest since 2018.

“It’s clearly progress,” Kilburn said.

He added that across the state and nation, overdose deaths appear to be down as well, however they’re not matching Chautauqua County’s significant drop.

Kilburn was asked what’s behind the big improvement and admitted that it can be a little difficult to explain. He credited the many partners uniting together to tackle the issue.

Some health board members noted there have been reports of fentanyl being weaker than in the past, saying cartels are concerned they’re “killing off their customers.”

Other members credited the use of Narcan as well as other treatments.

Dr. Michael Faulk, chief medical officer for the county, said more physicians are willing to use medicated assisted treatment.

“Three, four, five years ago, that was not the case,” he said.

Faulk did note that at the county jail, the demand for services has not gone down and if anything has increased, which shows that people are still using drugs, just not dying from them as much as in the past.

When examining toxicology reports from those who have died, Kilburn said the presence of both fentanyl and cocaine has dropped from 2023 to 2024. At the same time, the presence of methamphetamine has increased.

“Now it is slightly more common that somebody would die with a stimulant in their system than with fentanyl,” Kilburn said.

Chautauqua County, like many communities, have been receiving opioid settlement funds. Kilburn said they want to use those funds not only to address overdose deaths, but to get at the root cause of addiction and focus on prevention.

He highlighted how Prevention Works is expanding in work in the Dunkirk City School District.

The 2024-25 strategic plan priorities, which were developed in 2023, are as follows:

– Prevent overdoses and reduce harms.

– Prioritize prevention.

– Increase Substance Use Disorder treatment engagement, retention and effectiveness.

– Support families.

– Strengthen the workforce.

– Expand a public health approach to behavioral health through improved data collection and analysis.

– Address housing and other social determinants in supporting recovery.