Whatcom County EMS: one-day overdose spikes prompt closer review; Narcan credited with saving lives

On July 15, Whatcom County Emergency Medical Services presented updated overdose surveillance data to the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force behavioral health committee, reporting a cluster of overdoses on July 12 and a small number of additional incidents over the next two days that have prompted local review.

The presentation, given by Mike Hillig of Whatcom County EMS, said the county saw a sudden “spike in a given day” that may reflect a batch of dangerous drugs, non-opioid overdoses such as methamphetamine or alcohol, or random clustering. “I just find it interesting that we have this sudden spike in in a given day, but then the next two days, it’s only 1 or 0,” Hillig said.

The county’s monthly overdose counts have been roughly steady over the past four to five months, Hillig said, generally in the 130–190 range, and roughly comparable to 2022 year-to-date totals. Hillig pointed committee members to statewide comparisons produced by the Washington State Department of Health, saying Whatcom County’s age-adjusted overdose rate sits above the state adjusted rate (34.6 per 100,000 on the slide Hillig cited).

Hillig emphasized the continuing role of pre-EMS naloxone distribution: “Prior to [EMS] medications distributed … 61 percent of the people survived their overdose prior to EMS getting on scene.” He told the committee that the county has “saturated the county with Narcan” and that community distribution is “absolutely saving lives.” Hillig also cited emergency-department visit data showing that non-opioid substances, including alcohol and stimulants, account for a meaningful share of overdose visits.

Hillig recommended committee members review the state Department of Health’s epidemiology slides and offered to circulate the state presentation and the King County monthly overdose surveillance report for regional context; members requested a link be sent to staff so they could review the materials.

The presentation prompted committee questions about whether the same locations were involved in the clusters and whether toxicology will clarify the substances. Hillig said the county sheriff and medical examiner were checking for correlations.

The committee did not take formal action on the data; members asked staff to circulate the state slides and regional reports for further review.

Looking ahead, Hillig suggested the committee consider a quarterly state-level briefing from the DOH epidemiology team to place local trends in a statewide context.

Ending: Committee members requested the presentation materials be distributed by staff and signaled interest in monitoring whether the short clusters reflect localized bad batches of drugs or other causes.