May 27, 2021
Dave Trapp
The Drug Explosion and Community Risk Report

Dave Trapp will host a panel of local experts to discuss the issues of drugs in our community and a question and asnwer format to the challenges ahead.

The Drug Pandemic in La Crosse County – 2021

  • It is estimated there are 17,709 “users or addicts” driving, working, and living in La Crosse County today. (Based on CDC estimates of 15% of our 118,066 La Crosse County population.)
  • In 2016, there were 2,944 hospitalizations for drug abuse at Gundersen Health System. (Estimated annual amount is 9-14% of all hospitalizations.)
  • There were 40 overdose deaths in La Crosse County in 2020.
  • In 2020, drug deaths in La Crosse County were up 344% since 2014.
  • In the first two months of 2021, there have been 10 drug deaths in La Crosse County.

Yes, in 2020, 40 people died in La Crosse County from drug overdoses. You may not have bene aware of this as many of these deaths do not make the news, because there is a stigma attached to these tragic deaths.

You see, drug addiction is an illness that kills, just like heart disease or diabetes. Drug addiction is invisible, like mental illness. Addiction is not understood, so I’m hoping we can shed some light on the problem in La Crosse County.

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