22 overdose deaths in Kenosha County

And the opioid epidemic is far from over; it continues to plague the county, with drug overdose deaths at an all-time high for the second year in a row.

There were 58 confirmed drug poisoning deaths in the county in 2023, a number that could change, according to Coroner Patrice Hall, who provided an update to the Finance Committee Thursday night. Last year's number of drug overdose deaths is consistent with 2022.

“We have held steady over the last few years and nothing has been decided for 2023,” said Hall, who is awaiting the results of another case before closing out the final year.

The majority of drug overdose deaths involved fentanyl and/or its illicit forms, with that number increasing by more than 13%, from 38 in 2022 to 43 in 2023, according to the data.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine and is a major contributor to fatal and non-fatal overdoses in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

So far this year, there have been 22 deaths from drug overdose, nine of which involved fentanyl or its analogues.

In total, the county reported 156 additional deaths in 2023 (the most recent data available for the entire year), 1,635 compared to 1,797 deaths in 2022.

Kenosha County contracts with the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's Office for forensic services, including autopsies. Not all deaths require an autopsy, but if her office suspects a person died of an overdose, “an autopsy is automatically performed,” Hall said.

A regular autopsy costs the county $1,800 and an autopsy following the death of a child costs $5,000. This year, the county has budgeted $302,600 for autopsies.

Hall said that last year, nearly half of all autopsy cases in the practice were for overdose deaths. The practice performed 135 autopsies, 43% of which were deaths due to drug toxicity.

While deaths from fentanyl poisoning made up the majority of autopsies in her practice, Hall noted a sharp increase in fatal drug overdoses, including cocaine and xylazine, also known as “tranq,” which is commonly used by veterinarians. From 2022 to 2023, fatal cocaine overdoses increased from 22 to 30, while deaths from xylazine poisoning increased more than fivefold, from three to 16, in one year.

“Cocaine is always a popular drug and last year xylazine was the most common drug in many deaths,” she said. “Xylazine … is a tranquilizer for large animals that is not suitable for human consumption but is still used in medicines.”

Currently, Hall is working with the Health Department to speak with inmates in the county jail's Living Free program, which provides inmates with resources to help them reintegrate into society.

“I'm also trying to reach out to the public because we see a lot of people who have recently been released from prison and then die,” she said.

Supervisor Jeffrey Gentz, chairman of the committee, wondered if the office was working with local high schools on preventative measures. Hall said Kenosha Unified is a challenge for the county's outreach efforts. At the same time, she said the younger demographic is not the population her office is currently focusing on.

“It's rare for a teenager to die (of an overdose),” she said. “Most people who die of an overdose are between 30 and 60 (years old); the number is highest between 50 and 60.”

Supervisor Frederick Brookhouse asked what was being communicated to students, including two committee members of the Youth in Governance program, about substance abuse.

Sasha Stronczek, a junior at Harborside Academy, and Charlotte Sonday, a senior at Westosha Central High School, said programs at their respective schools have done little to inform them. Stronczek said, “It would be great to have more education,” especially about the dangers of nicotine.

“People are buying different e-cigarettes and cards from different students,” she said. “It would be a really good idea to provide more advice and information for children (who don't know) what can happen to them if they buy something.”

Sonday said that in a semester-long health course, only one week is devoted to the topic. She said she wanted more “fact-based” information, rather than someone “famous” telling them not to “do drugs.” She said students often get bored at assemblies where such presentations are given.

Rebecca Dutter, deputy director of the Human Services Department, said educators funded by the county's opioid settlement funds have begun programming in the county's high schools using the Botvin LifeSkills curriculum. Recently, she said, they also partnered with Carthage College and plan to include the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and Gateway Technical College in the future.

“We have just started this. They will receive a lot more education on this basis and it is a long curriculum that lasts several weeks,” she said.