The city of Rochester is asking residents to complete a survey to help guide its efforts to address the opioid epidemic.
The survey is available at cityofrochester.gov/opioidcrisis. It covers topics from how opioids affect residents' quality of life and families, to barriers to care and overdose prevention.
The survey is anonymous, and residents can respond through February. Rochester Institute of Technology's Center for Public Safety Initiatives is administering the survey.
The city is also collecting feedback from public input sessions and will use all of the information to try to better address the opioid epidemic locally. Officials said they want to see if there are gaps in their efforts and make a plan to use Rochester’s share of state opioid settlement funds. By 2025, the city will have received $3.8 million.
There are two upcoming public input sessions:
- One in the city's northwest, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 14 at Cameron Community Ministries, 48 Cameron St.
- One in the city's southeast, scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 21 at Blessed Sacrament Church, 534 Oxford St.
Last week, Monroe County released data on opioid overdose deaths for 2023. It showed the number of deaths attributed to opioids, including fentanyl or heroin, rose 30% countywide from the prior year. Last year, there were 433 fatal overdoses attributed to opioids, up from 333 in 2022.
When fatalities wholly or partly attributed to cocaine are factored in, overdose deaths in Monroe County increased by 26% in 2023. That year, there were 512 deaths attributed to opioids, cocaine, or a combination of the two, up from 406 the year prior.
