ELMIRA, N.Y. (WENY) -- Steuben County released opioid overdose data for the last two years and numbers are trending in the wrong direction. To help combat this issue Steuben County officials are trying to get the word out that this is a real local problem. 

“Time is of the essence so you want to administer it sooner rather than later. Especially if someone is critical AKA they are not breathing, not responsive. You really want to get Narcan on board early on,” said Dr. Kasarah Ackerman from Guthrie Hospital. 

In 2021 there were 246 suspected overdoes compared to 2022 which had 289 suspected overdoses. Overdose deaths held relatively steady with 13 deaths in 2021 compared to 12 in 2022. Steuben County is barely into February and already in January of this year there was 22 suspected overdoses, one death and seven administrations of Narcan. 

“So unfortunately, opioids can affect anyone. I think there is perhaps a stereotype that people who use substances have a certain characteristic, but unfortunately with opioids a lot of time it starts innocently enough,” said Lorelei Wagner a public health education coordinator for Steuben County.  

Fentanyl is a incredibly powerful anesthesia drug that drug dealers mix with recreational drugs like marijuana. 

“We also have instances where people start to experiment. They may be young and start to experiment with something they don’t necessarily know it is going to lead to an addiction. I don’t think anyone has the intention to go out and get addicted to a substance,” said Wagner.  

The lifesaving drug, Narcan is available at most pharmacies with a low co-pay and training is becoming more readily available.