Mar 8, 2022 3 min read

The number of fatal drug overdoses increased in Greene County last year as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented some people from attending in-person counseling and treatment programs.

Greene County Coroner Gene Rush said 16 people died of drug-related overdoses in 2021 after the number of deaths had declined the previous year.

A dozen people died in the county in 2020 from drug overdoses, which was down slightly from 14 in 2019, but still up significantly from the four people who died in the county in 2018. The most deaths recorded in the county occurred in 2016 when 19 people died of drug overdoses.

The first half of 2021 was particularly deadly when 10 fatal overdoses were reported by mid-June. The increase in deaths last year is alarming county officials, although they’re unsure whether the uptick is part of a trend or the result of addicts being isolated early last year when many counseling services were being conducted remotely.

Rush and other members of the Greene County Opioid Task Force met Monday morning to focus on problem areas where drug abuse is more prevalent, which he said is mainly around Carmichaels and Waynesburg. He said the vast majority of deaths last year involved either methamphetamine or fentanyl-laced heroin.

“We’re working with (District Attorney David Russo) to locate prominent areas,” Rush said. “There are certainly areas where there are more drug deaths than others.”

Greene County Commission Chairman Mike Belding, who is also on the task force, attributed the increase in overdose deaths last year to fewer in-person sessions available to people in need. He noted that sessions were still available, but not in the same format, which may have caused problems for addicts in recovery.

“The COVID epidemic saw a huge negative influence on (in-person) counseling programs. The counseling never stopped, but it was individual choices,” Belding said. “I think people are out and about more often, so I would hazard a guess everyone is going back to normal and normal activities. But for people who found comfort in isolation, it will be interesting to see if they come out of that (to seek counseling).”

He said the task force, which meets monthly, is looking for ways to ensure the community has access to the help it needs with COVID-19 cases dropping.

“The task force has been doing a lot of other programming to counter the isolation and non-availability of appropriate in-person counseling,” Belding said. “I’m not sure the numbers are way out of line of what other (counties) are experiencing, but I do think there is a negative experience with COVID with people not able to get into counseling and programs.”

There were 83 deadly overdoses in Fayette County last year, while there were 67 deaths in Washington County through October.

2021 – 16

2020 – 12

2019 – 14

2018 – 4

2017 – 12

2016 – 19

2015 – 14