WOONSOCKET, R.I. (WPRI) — The Rhode Island Department of Health is warning Woonsocket residents of an increase in opioid overdoses.
The state recorded an uptick in non-fatal overdoses in the city last week.
The data is collected weekly through the state’s Opioid Overdose Integrated Surveillance System, which identifies and tracks the number of non-fatal opioid overdoses by region.
It splits the data up into two sets: emergency department (ED) visits and emergency medical services (EMS) runs.
Region 2, which represents Woonsocket, surpassed the state’s pre-established ED data threshold for non-fatal overdoses last week.
The weekly threshold for ED visits in the Woonsocket is four, and last week, the city recorded six non-fatal opioid overdoses.
The city reached its EMS threshold once last month, recording five overdoses the week of July 3, as well as its ED visit threshold the week of July 10.
It’s estimated that more than 400 people in the state died of an accidental drug overdose in 2021, which is the most recorded in a single year.