We mapped where they’re occurring and asked experts about the implications and how to spot one when it’s happening
Screen shot from a map of 911 call data showing reports of overdose in Portland over the 18-month period from Jan. 1, 2022 to June 25, 2023. See below for the interactive map. | EMILY GREEN/DATAWRAPPER/THE LUND REPORT
by EMILY GREEN | THE LUND REPORT
JULY 28, 2023
Calls to 911 reporting an overdose in Multnomah County jumped significantly in May and June of this year, doubling the number of calls made during those months a year ago, according to data obtained by The Lund Report.
The numbers are part of a larger data set showing nearly 7,000 calls reporting overdose over an 18-month period between January 2022 and June. The volume and geographic spread of the calls are significant because they illustrate the extent of suffering among people struggling with addiction in the Portland area. It also shows the strain that substance use disorder is placing on the local health system — a strain that paramedics say is growing.