Opioid overdoses up in 2020

Tippecanoe Emergency Ambulance Service saw a 31% increase in overdose runs.

County.

That's according to numbers from the tippecanoe emergency ambulance service.

Between march and april of 2019 there were 169 overdose runs.

In 2020 teas had made 222 overdose runs.

That's a 31 percent increase.

Teas director john zartman says he can't blame the increase entirely on the pandemic.

But it could be one of the factors.

"with self isolation, which was very, very important to protect the community and everyone at large, that isolates the individual from seeking the treatments that they normally would do."

According the tippecanoe county coroner's office, opioid deaths have not increased this year.

It reported 38 deaths in 2019.

There have been 28 so far in 2020.

The state's health department plans to