A 900-thousand-dollar federal grant is going to be used to establish a rapid response team for reported overdoses in Hampden County.
Staffed by law enforcement, medical professionals and representatives from community service agencies, it will provide treatment alternatives and services within 72 hours of reported overdoses.
Authorities say there has been a 112-percent increase in opioid-related deaths in the county in the last three years.
The problem comes around to numbers. More people are staying home because of the pandemic. And they are turning to drugs.