BUFFALO (WBEN) - "Unfortunately we have seen a sharp rise in overdoses since the pandemic started," said Buffalo Police Captain Jeff Rinaldo, who joined WBEN Tuesday morning.
Since March 13, there have been 20 overdose cases in the city, with six of those turning out to be fatal. On an Erie County level, there have been almost 30 deaths since March 1.
"We're trying to just do everything we can to make sure people are aware that there's still help out there - we're also engaged in a narcan distribution program right now," said Rinaldo. "We started well over a month ago now putting into place different response protocols. For low priority calls, our officers are calling complainants on the phone, they're asking people to meet them outside of their house, utilizing social distancing to the best that we can.
However, the social distancing measures aren't really possible when first responders are alerted to an overdose call. Rinaldo explains that those cases of care take place in close proximity as officers are attempting to administer Narcan to those in distress.
Rinaldo also touched on some of the possible reasons behind an uptick in overdose cases, saying the pandemic likely has a lot to do with it.
"Number one, you have a high level of stress and anxiety going on because of the pandemic, which obviously all of us are under," he began. "People that have addiction issues tend not to deal with that not necessarily in the best form or fashion. You also have a cutoff in terms of group sessions and therapy, and other things that people utilize to manage their addiction."