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Delaware Could Surpass 400 Drug Overdose Deaths

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DOVER, Del. (AP) - State officials say Delaware is on pace to surpass 400 drug overdose deaths in 2018, after it had 345 last year.

The Delaware State News and other outlets report the statistics are from the state Department of Health and Social Services. More than 1,000 individuals have fatally overdosed in Delaware since the start of 2015 and the numbers show the opioid crisis still lingers, although the state has made progress in fighting addiction.

The state Department of Justice released its annual report Wednesday on the drug epidemic. It says Health and Social Services disclosed that a record-setting 39 Delawareans died from overdoses in August.

The report says improvement is needed in several areas to help save lives including expanding sober living and long-term residential treatment facilities and opening a recovery high school.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.