There has been a recent spike of opioid overdoses in Broome County, prompting local health officials to warn students of the dangers of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.

As of last week, the overdose spike is over. In Broome County, an overdose spike is when there are two or more fatal overdoses within a 24 hour period or four nonfatal overdoses in a 24 hour period. According to Jared Kraham, mayor of Binghamton, there have been 47 overdoses this year in the city of Binghamton, with 28 of those occurring in a two-week period leading up to Feb. 10. As of Feb. 17, there have been 12 suspected fatal overdoses in Broome County this year, with eight occurring in the month of January and four occurring in February, according to Marissa Knapp, the opioid overdose prevention coordinator at the Broome County Health Department.

Local health officials believe the uptick in overdoses is a result of the drug fentanyl being combined with other drugs. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is being combined with all classes of drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, counterfeit pills and more. It is often mixed in with the drugs, and users may not realize they are consuming it.

“My message above all was a compassionate one,” Kraham said. “If students have a family member, a loved one, a friend, coworker or a fellow student who they know might be using street drugs, [which] would include any type of pills — that would include heroin, fentanyl — there is a very dangerous product on the street today, and it is deadly. Now, we certainly have not seen any evidence that there are overdoses [among] university students, so I do not want to cause concern or alarm when there is none. But the opioid epidemic affects people regardless of geography, socioeconomic status [and] race. This is still an epidemic that is very much at the forefront of our public health.”

The Broome County Health Department is also urging those who use drugs to have naloxone on hand, also referred to as a Narcan kit, a medicine used to treat opioid overdoses — even if they have no intentions of using opioids. Due to New York State’s Naloxone Co-payment Assistance Program, community members can pick up Narcan kits at local pharmacies with no prior prescription, but residents are encouraged to call the pharmacy ahead to ensure availability, according to the Broome County Health Department’s website.

Alexis Pleus, the executive director and founder of Truth Pharm — a local nonprofit, anti-harm organization that seeks to educate, inform and empower people to make healthier decisions around their substance use — said she believes students should know how to recognize and reverse an opioid overdose and recognize the dangers of fentanyl.

“For people who do not normally use opioids, fentanyl carries a higher risk because those people do not have a tolerance to opioids built up,” Pleus wrote in an email. “The current drug supply has been highly irregular and dangerous. Students should also be aware that we have had several overdoses due to counterfeit pills having fentanyl in them, and the people buying the pills did not know they were counterfeit because they look just like the real pharmaceutical pills.”

The Broome County Health Department is also urging people to use fentanyl test strips before ingesting any recreational drugs. Test strips can be found at local organizations such as Truth Pharm, the Addiction Center of Broome County and the Southern Tier AIDS Program.

Knapp encouraged students who are using drugs to practice harm reduction measures each time they use.

“We are seeing overdoses with a population that wouldn’t normally have a Narcan kit,” Knapp said. “We are really making sure that people understand if you are using any substance, it is really important that you practice harm reduction measures. That means to not use alone because if you use alone and overdose, there is no one else there with you to revive you or call 911.”

Knapp also said it is important that students know that under New York State’s Good Samaritan Law, they can call 911 without fear of arrest if they are having or are witnessing someone having a drug or alcohol overdose.

Samantha Carroll, the Student Association (SA) vice president for student success and a junior majoring in philosophy, politics and law, said she believes the Good Samaritan Law is just one of many resources students should know about.

“The most important thing students should keep in mind is that [BU] has the resources they need to be safe in the midst of this situation,” Carroll wrote. “One especially helpful resource is the Narcan trainings made available monthly from the [School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences]. A mere 30 minutes on Zoom gives you the knowledge you need to save someone’s life, and I believe they have Narcan for trained students to keep with them in case of an emergency.”

As a certified Opioid Overdose Prevention site by the New York State Department of Health, BU is able to distribute Narcan to trained individuals.

Knapp said students should remember that an opioid overdose can impact anyone.

“I think the most important thing that we always say is everyone is just one decision away from being in a life-or-death situation,” Knapp said. “Substance use disorders don’t discriminate.”

If you are experiencing an emergency, Harpur’s Ferry can be reached at 607-777-3333. Students struggling with addiction can reach out to the campus recovery support group (busober@binghamton.edu). Other on-campus resources include the Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs Office, the Consultation, Advocacy, Referral and Education (CARE) Team and Decker Student Health Services.

Off campus resources include Truth Pharm and the Addiction Center of Broome County. United Health Services (UHS) provides free overdose prevention training and naloxone kits to the public. Those interested can call (607) 762-2622, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to receive training over the phone. Staff will arrange contact-free pickup of naloxone for those in need. More information on services provided by the UHS can be found here.