TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.— Six individuals have died from opioid overdoses in the county so far this month— including five reported by law enforcement within the last 10 days.
The deaths suggest an uptick in the rate of lethal overdoses in Tompkins County, a trend that has been generating concerns among local leaders since at least 2016. The six overdose deaths recorded in the first two months of 2024 already exceed the five that were recorded in the first three months of 2023.
The Ithaca Police Department (IPD) called the number “unusual” in a Facebook post from Feb. 22, which included a comprehensive list of local resources available to people struggling with addiction.
The latest reported incident occurred Feb. 25, when IPD officers responded to a call about a non-responsive individual at a residence on Cliff Street. Later that day, the department released a statement that said an investigation is “ongoing” to determine the cause of death, but the incident “appears to be from a drug overdose.”
The subject’s name was not included in the statement from last week and has not yet been released.
Another body was found on the evening of Feb. 12 in Ithaca’s West End neighborhood on Cecil Malone Drive. IPD Police Chief Thomas Kelly later confirmed the deceased as 37-year-old Robert McKeen, announcing his “known history” of overdoses and said police identified “evidence of recent use” at the scene.
After just two months on the job, Kelly said in an interview that overdose deaths are “not unique” to Ithaca and the surrounding areas— and sometimes, when more potent drugs mixed with stronger, more addictive substances like fentanyl and xylazine circulate through the community, reports of overdoses increase.
“People just aren’t used to them,” Kelly said.
Fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than morphine, a drug primarily used in palliative cancer care, and xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer known to cause skin necrosis at injection sites on the skin, were recognized in the local drug supply as early as 2016.
In 2022, the Tompkins County Whole Health Department released a statement warning the public of an increase in overdoses caused by xylazine, where typical Narcan intervention is not effective or required multiple doses to effectively reserve an overdose.
John Barry, director of the Southern Tier Aids Program (STAP), a non-profit operating in Binghamton as well as in Ithaca, said the same— that individuals who have used for many years, with built tolerances, can underestimate the strength of the additives found in injectable drugs today.
“The entire drug supply is poisoned all over the place,” Barry said. “That’s making things more complicated.”
STAP runs a drug checking program at its syringe exchanges, where testing occurs on-site and results are nearly immediate. The Ithaca location is downtown, at 314 W. State Street.
Barry said testing the drugs won’t stop users from taking them, but maybe, when they know more potent substances are present in their supply, they’ll take further caution while using.
“That’s the hope anyway,” he said. “That they go a bit lower and slower.”
Overdose deaths in Tompkins County have been steadily increasing each year since 2019, when 17 total overdose deaths were recorded compared to 28 in 2022.
Complete data detailing the total number of opioid related deaths in 2023 have not yet been released by either the New York State Department of Health or officials in Tompkins County, but in August 2023, the health department released a statement alerting the public of a significant increase recorded in the first half of the year, from January to June.
In New York State, overdose related deaths have continued to increase every year since 2019, according to data recorded by the state’s Department of Health. Earlier this year, New York Focus reported 2023 was the worst year on record for overdose deaths in the state.
While demand for services has increased in recent years, organizations offering addiction rehabilitation resources in the county have struggled to remain financially viable, as well as maintain and hire staff.
Last year, the Alcohol and Drug Council of Tompkins County (ADC), a non-profit organization, completed work on its long-anticipated detox center located on Triphammer Road, but was unable to find enough nurses to operate the facility.
The fate of the detox center, which has not yet fully opened, remains unknown after this week, when the ADC laid off almost the entirety of its 44 person staff. The layoffs signal an end to the harm reduction, prevention, counseling and treatment services the organization provides.
In their experience working with people struggling with addiction, both Kelly and Barry said making sure judgment-free resources are available and easily accessible to marginalized members of the community is key to lowering the rate of overdose deaths. When they are ready, Kelly said, a system has to be in place to support them.
“Until somebody’s ready to stop, they won’t stop,” Kelly said. “You can’t force help on them. They have to be ready to make that commitment.”
Resources in Tompkins County:
Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services (CARS)
(607) 272-5500
Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS)
(607) 274-6200
REACH Project Inc.
(607) 273-7000
Southern Tier Aids Project (STAP)
(607) 798-1706