(WDRB/ARC) – With a nearly 50% increase in Kentucky overdose deaths from 2019 to 2020, Addiction Recovery Care’s (ARC) Senior Vice President of Operations Pat Fogarty spoke to WDRB News about the eye-opening trend and the growing need for ARC’s help.
Data from Kentucky’s 2020 Overdose Fatality Report shows 1,964 Kentuckians died of an overdose, reports Dalton Godbey with WDRB News.
Godbey spoke with ARC’s Pat Fogarty, who says he wasn’t surprised to see the numbers high considering the tough situations those with addictions battled during the pandemic. His concerns now revolve around 2021.
“Is it really going to go down in 2021? I don’t see that happening,” he said. “I think it could very well increase from that 50% in 2020,” Fogarty told WDRB’s Dalton Godbey.
Fogarty believes now is the time to pour more resources into addiction treatment than ever before.
“Just to see more and more chaos and calamity makes us realize we need to do more and there’s a lot that we’re not doing right,” said Fogarty.
WDRB reports Louisville and surrounding counties saw a high number of overdoses. Bullitt and Hardin counties had more than 30 people die of drug overdoses last year. Adair, LaRue, Trimble, and Washington counties had fewer than five cases.
Fogarty urges those seeking help with their addiction to contact the Addiction Recovery Care intake team at 606-289-2979. With treatment on-demand system, clients can have a bed and be evaluated within 24 hours of their arrival to an ARC facility.
