Opioid-related deaths soar in Erie County

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — There were so many deaths related to opioid overdose last year, final numbers for 2015 can’t yet be tallied. That’s because, as of this week, there’s a backlog of toxicology reports, the test required to confirm such details about how a person dies.
Erie County has long considered the fight against heroin and other opioids to be a public health crisis.
According to the Erie County Health Department, 201 people died as a result of opioid overdose thr