Heroin deaths coming at record pace in Kane County

There will be more heroin deaths in Kane County this year than ever before, according to a grim prediction made last week by Coroner Rob Russell.

Russell informed Kane County Board members his staff performed more autopsies in May and June than any in recent memory. Many of them involved drug overdoses.

From Dec. 1 through the start of July, Kane County confirmed 19 heroin deaths. The most heroin deaths ever recorded in Kane County came in 2012 with 27 overdoses.

“We've had a record-setting heroin death year so far,” Russell said. “And the totals I'm talking about don't include some we're still awaiting toxicology results. So there will be more. And those totals don't include the synthetic fentanyl deaths that we're also seeing come onto the scene.”

The rising number of opiate deaths comes even as Kane County sheriff's deputies and many local police departments have begun carrying Naloxone, an opiate reversal agent. That move, which Russell helped promote, followed the reality of 1,705 opioid overdose deaths in Illinois in 2014. That's part of a nationwide quadrupling of opioid deaths in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Russell said a group called the Chicago Opiate Area Taskforce recently formed in recognition of the trend and the need to share resources among various governmental bodies to address it.

In Kane County, a rising number of heroin deaths and the associated autopsies also represents a budget problem. Russell said he's stopped buying uniforms for his staff and promotional items for his office in an attempt to balance out the added autopsy costs. His staff has also volunteered to take some comp time rather than overtime to stay within budget.

“We've only spent resources where absolutely necessary,” Russell said.