Maine is seeing a slight dip in the number of people who have died from a drug overdose so far this year.
Maine’s Director of Opioid Response, Gordon Smith, says 201 people died in the first four months of the year, compared to 215 during the same time period last year.
“We are cautiously optimistic that things are improving,” Smith said during a virtual meeting Thursday with a coalition of agencies and advocacy organizations known as Penobscot County Cares. “That doesn’t mean that we’re not concerned about every death that does occur.”
Fentanyl was the most frequent cause of overdose deaths, though it’s nearly always found in combination with other drugs.
Smith highlighted efforts by the administration of Gov. Janet Mills to boost treatment, including the recent announcement that 140 residential treatment beds will be added by the end of the year from Portland to Presque Isle, including six beds for Wabanaki Public Health.
