Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)
A record number of Hennepin County residents fatally overdosed from opioids or methamphetamines last year, with an alarming spike in deaths from fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller that can be lethal even in tiny doses.
Hennepin County recorded 285 opioid-related deaths for the year, with nearly all involving at least trace amounts of fentanyl. That is up from 170 opioid deaths the year before. Methamphetamine overdoses reached a record 116 in the county last year.
"I do think 2020 was a blockbuster year in a really sad way," said Julie Bauch, Hennepin County opioid response coordinator. Bauch said the COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in the rising number of deaths. "People are in crisis and they are being challenged."
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