Fentanyl-overdose deaths significantly lower this year compared to years past

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Looking through a digital album of pictures of her daughter Tara Aceves Tadeo, Angelique Tadeo recalled memories of their time together. Tara’s daughter and Angelique’s granddaughter Graciella pointed to pictures of her mom that sparked conversations.

“She was an amazing mom and daughter. She was my person,” Angelique Tadeo said while Graciella said, “Me and my little brother Jacob, we loved her.”

Tara passed away at 36 years old in 2020 from consuming cocaine laced with fentanyl.

Angelique works in the organ donation industry where she said she sees a lot of donors who died because of fentanyl. She said they overwhelmingly make up the amount of opioid deaths she hears about.

“I see the parents and I know what they’re feeling,” she said.

Last year the Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office said 309 people died in Pima County from a fentanyl overdose. This year that number has significantly gone down to 190 deaths.

This year there have also been about 100 less fentanyl overdose deaths in Pima County compared to the deaths in both 2021 and 2022.

“I absolutely do see that as progress. The only thing I can imagine is the awareness that’s out there,” Angelique Tadeo said.

This year Santa Cruz, Cochise, and Graham Counties did see a drop in fentanyl overdose deaths, but La Paz County did see double the deaths, going from three to six.

The Tadeos have been raising awareness about fentanyl overdose deaths through a billboard Tara was featured on and by going to events.

Mark Person, the public health program manager at the Pima County Health Department said that type of awareness has been helping the amount of deaths go down. He said the health department has also helped promote fentanyl awareness and the dangers of the drug.

“A lot of that educational stuff that we’ve pushed over the last couple of years has helped,” Person said.

He said they also distribute Narcan, the opioid-reversing drug, and fentanyl testing strips. While he said it’s hard to tell whether deaths will continue to go down, he said he expects them to.

However, he said when it comes to opioid overdose deaths overall, he said there is room to grown in terms of stopping the deaths.

“There’s a lot of places that people can go to seek help now, more so than ever before,” he said.

The Tadeos said stopping deaths due to fentanyl starts with something as simple as a conversation.

“It’s important to be able to talk about it openly, not be ashamed. Addiction is nothing to be ashamed of. It’s a problem that needs help,” Angelique said while Graciella said,

“All of the other families know how you feel about your special person not here with us anymore.”