For years, Emergycare’s paramedics responded to an ever-increasing number of drug overdoses in the City of Erie. But that trend has turned around.
City of Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny announced this week that there were 187 overdoses in the first three quarters of 2023, significantly down from 297 in 2023.
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He attributed the decline to a crackdown on drug dealers and getting large amounts of fentanyl off city streets.
Emergycare director of operations Matthew Bennett said the declining number matches his team’s day-to-day experience. He believes in-home Narcan use and increased awareness about the dangers of illicit drugs are also contributing to the drop.
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“If we’re responding to less overdoses, we have more availability to respond to different types of medical and trauma emergencies which does take that load off of the crews and can help us with our response times within the city,” he said.