Fentanyl use in illicit drug supply continues to fuel rise in fatal Kane County overdoses

The rate of opioid deaths in Kane County doubled in the last decade, and county officials are trying to determine a multipronged approach to bring the numbers down.

Michael Isaacson, executive director of the county health department, shared a preview of a larger report on the problem with a county board committee Wednesday. The report shows 7.3 opioid deaths per 100,000 residents in 2011. That's followed by mostly steady increases in that rate up to the current high point of 14.9 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021.

In real numbers, that is the difference between 38 deaths in 2011 and 77 deaths in 2021.

Isaacson said the increasing prevalence of fentanyl is at the heart of the problem. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times stronger than morphine. Illegal drug distributors add fentanyl to opiates, like heroin, to pad the drug supply and increase its potency. But the result can be fatal concoctions for users.

Some of the upticks in overdose deaths, Issacson said, comes because fentanyl is now finding its way into cocaine. Overdose deaths involving cocaine combined with fentanyl doubled in the last year.

"People who use heroin may be more familiar with fentanyl and expect fentanyl is going to be in their drug supply," Isaacson said. "But now we have people who are using cocaine that aren't expecting fentanyl to be in their drugs."

Local health care providers and advocacy groups are increasingly making fentanyl testing strips more available for illicit drug users to curb accidental overdoses. But county board member Michelle Gumz made a public call for drug dealers to test their supplies before potentially killing their customers.

She pointed out that the law now allows dealers to be charged with drug-induced homicides when people die from an overdose.

"I'm not promoting (drug dealing)," Gumz said. "I'm saying they can't be left out of the conversation. Asking these folks to do this is not a horrible ask, and it should be part of our message as well. I don't think we'll ever stop them from being out there."

New county board member David Young said stopping drug dealers is exactly what the county should be doing.

"Why aren't they in prison?" Young asked. "If people know these drug dealers, they need to turn them in to the police. And if everything is coming up through Mexico, they need to stop the trail. No one's talking about that. You need to stop that and throw them in prison."

Isaacson agreed, but he said history shows that's not going to solve the drug problem by itself.

"We've seen that we have been completely unsuccessful in trying to police our way out of substance use issues," Isaacson said.

Health officials are turning more toward a harm-reduction model. Initiatives like making fentanyl testing strips available and putting more opioid-reversal drugs, like naloxone, in the hands of first responders and the wider public are moving toward the forefront, Isaacson said.

Nearly 300 people's lives were saved in the past three years in Kane County by administering opioid-reversal drugs during an overdose, stats show.

"We are pushing this out here like wild," Isaacson said.

Statistics also show opioid-related overdose deaths in every age group ranging from 15 to 64 years old. Deaths are rising in almost every age group from 2017 to 2021. Overdose deaths in people 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 doubled in that period.

The only age category to see a decrease in overdose deaths is people 25 to 34. But people those ages still account for the most overdose deaths in Kane County.

"This is a threat in all different segments of our community," Isaacson said. "It's not just young people. It's not just older people."

Isaacson said the drug problem also extends to every economic class. He said St. Charles had the highest single overdose rate of any community in the county for the past four years. St. Charles also has one of the highest suicide rates, Isaacson said.

County board members called for better access and increased funding for mental health services to get at some of the underlying problems leading to drug use. County health department officials will present a more in-depth report on local drug use and overdoses in the coming months.