INDIANAPOLIS — An increase in overdoses on the east side of Indianapolis has gotten the attention of health officials and an organization tasked to prevent them.
“As the weather warms up, people are more social and might be recreationally using substances more or anything like that. We do see an increase in overdose events here in Indianapolis, usually in the warmer months,” said Breanna Hicks, harm reduction director for Overdose Lifeline.
A map from the Marion County Public Health Department showed the ZIP codes where Indianapolis EMS made the most naloxone runs and how many doses were administered. According to the map EMS responded heavily to the 46201 area. Overdose Lifeline uses information like this to alert them of an overdose spike in a community.
“Our partners look at the geographical location, as well as the time span of which those happen. So if there is a cluster of overdose events in one area that could signify that there’s something going on in that area, such as a contaminated batch of a substance or a disruption in a drug market that’s leading to increase risk of overdose,” said Hicks…