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Opioid Overdoses Continue To Rage In Delray Beach

The epidemic of opioid overdoses continues to grip Delray Beach. The city saw 75 heroin overdoses last month, with 4 of them fatal.

That’s a slight decrease from October, which brought an all-time high of 88 heroin overdoses resulting in 11 fatalities.

Delray Beach emergency personnel attribute the spike in overdoses to synthetic opioids like fentanyl being added to heroin sold on the street.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl is more than 50 times more potent than heroin.

The 21st Century Cures Act - a bill making its way through the U.S. Congress – would give states like Florida 1-billion dollars to fight the opioid crisis.

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Delray Beach Fire Rescue personnel transport an overdose victim to the hospital on Nov. 18, 2016.
Peter Haden / WLRN
/
WLRN
Delray Beach Fire Rescue personnel transport an overdose victim to the hospital on Nov. 18, 2016.

Peter Haden is an award-winning investigative reporter and photographer currently working with The Center for Investigative Reporting. His stories are featured in media outlets around the world including NPR, CNN en Español, ECTV Ukraine, USA Today, Qatar Gulf Times, and the Malaysia Star.