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 fentanyl and other stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine. Drug cartels are known to mix the substances .
In urine testing done by Millennium, 93% of the fentanyl-positive samples contained additional drugs, many of them potentially dangerous.
Fatal overdoses in Stanislaus County are attributed to fentanyl if the synthetic opioid is present with other substances. Only a small amount of fentanyl is enough to kill. Thursday’s release of county data did not include xylazine, another dangerous drug mixed with fentanyl to enhance or prolong the effect.
The Opioid Safety Coalition includes county agencies, community groups, healthcare organizations and other interested parties such as people who have lost family members. Members assembled the poignant chair display at Vintage Faire to bring awareness to the thousands of people who pass through the mall.
The display was there from Friday to National Fentanyl Awareness Day, which was Tuesday. Information tables provided free test strips, overdose prevention kits and Narcan for reversing overdoses.
Jennifer Marsh, a prevention services coordinator for the county, said sisters visiting the display recognized a chair cover, listing a 22-year-old female and the city where she died, was for one of their siblings. They returned home to gather pictures of their loved one and brought them to place on the chair.
The coalition also does awareness events at schools and in communities around the county, as it tries to slow down the fentanyl crisis.
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