Impacts of Fentanyl crisis increasing in Chelan County

information released, Photo: Chelan County Coroner Wayne Harris 

The Fentanyl crisis continues to have growing impacts here in Chelan County, reports the Chelan County coroner.

In 2024, the Coroner’s Office recorded 552 reportable deaths, most of whom were people with a medical history, Coroner Wayne Harris said. Of those deaths, 37 were drug-related overdoses, or more than eight times the number of overdose deaths in 2019.

“We are continuing to see growth in deaths related to illegal drugs, in particular fentanyl, in our community,” Harris said recently. “The deaths are touching all age groups, from 18 years old to people in their 60s, as our 2024 records show.”

Harris added that by mid-January, his office had already responded to one drug-related death.

When the Coroner’s Office began tracking drug-related deaths in 2019, it recorded four deaths. Those numbers remained in the single digits until 2022, when drug-related deaths jumped to 31, 20 of which were Fentanyl related, Harris said. The number fell in 2023 to 21 drug-related overdoses and then spiked to 37 again last year.

Other details about the 2024 numbers include:

  • The average age of drug-related deaths was 43. Most of the deceased (22) were in their 30s or 40s. The deaths included an 18-year-old as well as five people in their 60s.
  • Of the 37 overdoses, 14 were either homeless (nine) or living in transitional housing (five).
  • Of the deceased, the vast majority (22) were white.
  • Of the deceased, the vast majority (31) were also male.
  • The months with the highest number of drug-related deaths were November with nine deaths, June with eight deaths and December with seven deaths.

At the Chelan County Regional Justice Center, caring for people booked into the jail who are detoxing from drug addictions is one of the jail’s biggest challenges, said jail Director Chris Sharp.

“On average, 70 percent of the population we encounter is or has been using drugs or alcohol,” Sharp said. “This is very taxing for our medical and custody staff.”

In 2024, the jail booked 3,400 people, of whom at least 1,600 were on active withdrawal protocols or care. These numbers do not include people who are released within 12 to 72 hours by the court or have been bailed out of jail, Sharp said.

Daily, this averages to eight to 10 incarcerated people who are on detox protocols or a higher level of care while in the Chelan County jail. Sharp added that detox can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

In addition, corrections deputies in 2024 also saved 15 lives inside the jail using Narcan, the drug used to treat known or unknown opioid overdoses.

“The addiction to Fentanyl is so great, people are willing to die to get high,” Sharp said. “The hope is someone will Narcan them.”

Because of this higher level of medical care, the jail has 24 medical sensors installed in 24 single-cell units. The facility recently received an additional $368,000 in opioid settlement dollars from Chelan County to install another 44 sensors, for a total of 68. The sensors will be installed later this year.

Harris, in reporting the 2024 deaths, added that the stories behind the 37 deaths last year rang very similar. Family members spoke of trying to do all they could for loved ones who were sinking deeper into their addictions.

“Many said, ‘we knew this day was coming,” Harris said.