Northwest Georgia has more opioid related overdose deaths, per capita, than any other region in the state. “We have a serious overdose problem,” Georgia Department of Public Health Northwest Health District spokesman Logan Boss said. “We have by far the worst opioid death rate in the state.”
Within the 10 county district that includes Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Paulding, Polk and Walker counties — Dade, Polk, Bartow and Walker counties lead in overdose deaths.
To support opioid crisis prevention and response efforts, the Georgia Department of Public Health is partnering with area recovery community organizations to establish a regional post-overdose response team.
Using data supplied by public health organizations, the RCOs will canvass neighborhoods where overdoses are suspected to have occurred, as well as known high-traffic drug areas, with information about prevention and treatment resources.
“We’ve been working on a ten county program,” Boss said. “With a boots-on-the-ground approach. We’re not just sitting back collecting data, we’re in the streets every day.”
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