ND sees uptick on OD deaths

The North Dakota Department of Human Services says drug related overdoses claimed 118 lives in 2020.

That’s up from 79 in 2019.

The Department says the COVID-19 pandemic has been impacting behavioral health. And Behavioral Health Division director Pamela Sagness says it has been especially difficult for those struggling with an opioid use disorder.

Naloxone is available from local public health units and pharmacies, or though the Department’s Division of Behavioral Services.

Recognizing the signs and symptoms

An opioid overdose requires immediate medical attention. Recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose is essential to saving lives.

Individuals who exhibit these signs and symptoms may be experiencing an opioid overdose:

• Face is clammy to the touch, and it has lost color,
• Body is limp and fingernails or lips have a blue or purple tinge,
• Individual is vomiting or making gurgling noises,
• Individual cannot be awakened from sleep or is unable to speak, and
• His or her breathing or heartbeat is slow or has stopped.