Deadly synthetic opioids like fentanyl have led to an increase in nonfatal and fatal overdoses nationwide. In Wyoming alone, health officials reported 93 people dying from drug overdoses in 2022 — 48 involving fentanyl. Millions of dollars, meanwhile, are pouring into counties and towns to help confront the crisis, but access to vital information that could inform how to use those resources remains limited.
In our four-part series Withheld, WyoFile looked into what data the state collects and why it doesn’t always make it into the hands of local decision-makers and harm reduction groups.
Withheld: A spike in Wyoming overdoses
In the first of a four-part series, WyoFile looks at EMS data suggesting a sharp January increase in overdoses, and why that information wasn’t made public.
Withheld: As fentanyl floods in, can death data keep up?
In the second of a four-part series, WyoFile looks at how the potent synthetic opioid is killing more people and how the state’s county-by-county coroner system tracks its impact.
Withheld: The potentially life-saving map that most can’t see
First responders, law enforcement and some health care professionals can access ODMAP — if they know about it. Most policy makers and members of the public cannot.
Withheld: Stigma, statistics and multi-million dollar settlement funds
In the final installment of our four-part series, WyoFile looks at solutions for battling the ongoing opioid crisis.