Butler County officials discuss county's state of health

For a fourth consecutive year, Butler County saw a rise in fatal drug overdoses, according to Butler County Coroner Lisa Mattix. Her office investigated a total of 232 overdoses in 2017, which was a 21 percent increase over 2016's total of 192. "The coroner's office is the last stop on a very sad journey for somebody addicted to drugs," Mattix said, noting that overdose deaths accounted for nearly half of the cases they investigated in 2017. While Mattix said the grim figures sadden her, she holds out hope for this year because of the number of community organizations implementing initiatives to help conquer addiction. "What I'm encouraged with is that we do have programs in place. We are trying things. But we do need time to see results. There's no quick fix," Mattix said. Eighty-two percent of Butler County's drug overdoses in 2017 were related to fentanyl, fentanyl analogs like carfentanil or heroin, according to Mattix's office. She also noted a fourfold increase in methamphetamine use seen in all overdoses, particularly those that tested positive for fentanyl analogs. Cocaine-related deaths stayed about the same and were also predominantly connected to cases with fentanyl. Butler County Health Commissioner Jennifer Bailer and Scott Rasmus, executive director of the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board, also spoke at Tuesday morning's news conference.