SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) said Tuesday he is pushing for more funding for drug treatment and prevention in the next COVID-19 relief bill.
Buchanan's move comes after he said figures he got from the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office showed 29 opioid-related deaths were recorded during the first six months of 2020. That's more than double the number of opioid-related deaths in all of 2019, the congressman said.
Buchanan said the reports also showed non-fatal overdoses in the county rose from 88 in all of 2019 to 121 in the first six months of 2020.
"The spike in drug overdoses in our region during the coronavirus pandemic is tragic and alarming," Buchanan said in a release. "We have to get treatment to those in need both in Southwest Florida and across the country."
Buchanan in a release noted that national experts put some blame on the pandemic for the increase in drug overdoses as the virus forces quarantines and self-isolation. The congressman said some treatment and recovery centers have had to close during the pandemic.
Buchanan urged Congress to include funding to address recent drug overdoses in his district and across the country.
According to the Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program, overdoses in the U.S. jumped 18 percent in March, 29 percent in April and 42 percent in May.
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