Lincoln has Four Fentanyl Overdose Deaths in Last 10 Days, Cocaine & Other Stimulants Being Laced

The Lincoln Police Department and Lincoln Fire and Rescue have been called to more than 20 drug overdoses since August 10th, leading to four overdose deaths. The alarming increase has been traced back to fentanyl-laced drugs, especially fentanyl-laced cocaine.

Last year, drug overdoses in Lincoln increased by more than 70%, compared to a five-year average. Already, more people have overdosed this year compared to last.

Pat Lopez is Director of the Lincoln-Lancaster Health Department and said her department is issuing a health alert because of the recent spike in overdoses.

“When we issue a health alert, that means we need people to take action that we have a serious threat going on in our community,” she said. “We need everyone to know and be prepared to respond.”

The first step to helping someone who has overdosed on fentanyl is to understand the signs, which can include both respiratory and cardiac arrest.

Families who know loved ones struggling with addiction can carry an opioid overdose treatment in the form of nasal spray. Narcan is free at select pharmacies, but can’t replace calling emergency services.

“The fentanyl requires a lot of Narcan, typically more than what we’ve seen in opioid overdoses in the past,” LFR Chief David Engler said. “Single-use Narcan, it may bring someone who’s not breathing back to breathing for a temporary amount of time.”

If you see someone going into an overdose and call 911, the Good Samaritan law in Nebraska prevents any criminal charges.

It’s believed many people are overdosing from a drug they weren’t aware contained fentanyl. According to LPD, it takes an extremely small amount of fentanyl to overdose and the drug is much more potent than heroin or morphine.

Interim Police Chief Brian Jackson said the overdoses over the last two weeks are the highest in the department’s history.

Also, there are many resources in the community to help those going through addiction. Most of those services include outpatient care and can be found on the web.

For information on how fentanyl-laced substances are being distributed and sold in Lincoln, call the police department.