17 Drug Overdose Deaths in Broome in Three Months

A new report reveals the number of drug-related overdose deaths in Broome County remains high.

According to District Attorney Stephen Cornwell, 17 people died as a result of drug overdoses in the first three months of 2017. There were 23 overdose deaths in the county in the first quarter of last year.

Cornwell released the number of confirmed deaths Friday morning.

If the overdose rate continues for the next nine months, about 69 people would die of drug overdoses in the county for the year.

The district attorney previously reported there were at least 76 deaths linked to drug overdoses for 2016.

The new report indicates more than half - 8 of the 17 - of the overdose deaths in the county so far this year occurred in the City of Binghamton.

14 of the deaths were attributed to heroin or opioids.

Last August, Cornwell asked the county's coroners to notify his office promptly of all suspected overdose deaths.

The action followed a news conference during which County Executive Debra Preston and Sheriff David Harder said they didn't know how many people had died as a result of heroin overdoses through July.

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