Monroe County officials say that an opioid data dashboard they introduced Friday will provide government agencies, law enforcement, health care systems, and advocacy groups with more timely data to help fight the opioid epidemic.
The county had previously led efforts to collect and report data on fatal and non-fatal opioid overdoses, but officials said the figures had limitations. It was based only on information gathered and provided by law enforcement and did not include things like emergency room admissions.
Dr. Michael Mendoza, Monroe County’s public health commissioner, said the new dashboard pulls in statistics from more sources, including incidents where fire or EMS crews administered the overdose reversal drug naloxone.
“We know that data alone are not going to save lives nor are they alone going to reduce the harm this epidemic is causing to our community,” Mendoza said during a news conference Friday. “But expert and appropriate analysis of data is critically important when it comes to developing a comprehensive strategy, developing innovative solutions and raising awareness during this crisis.”
County Executive Adam Bello said making this data public will help people understand the magnitude of the opioid crisis locally. It’ll also help agencies and organizations better evaluate their programs. He and Mendoza were joined Friday by District Attorney Sandra Doorley and Sheriff Todd Baxter.
Bello emphasized that figures on the dashboard are not mere numbers.
“These are people. These are family members, these are friends,” he said. “These are moms and dads, brothers and sisters. These are our loved ones who struggled with addiction, and it ended in a tragedy.”
The dashboard breaks down overdoses and suspected fatal overdoses by week, month, and year to date. The naloxone administration figures are reported on a rolling 12-month basis.
It also includes a heat map showing the locations of overdoses for the past year.
