Cook County Opioid Deaths Spike Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says Black residents are being disproportionately impacted by the overdose crisis.

By Nereida Moreno
Oxycodone pills
This Aug. 29, 2018, file photo shows an arrangement of Oxycodone pills in New York. Opioid-related deaths are on the rise in Cook County, officials said Tuesday. Mark Lennihan / Associated Press
Oxycodone pills
This Aug. 29, 2018, file photo shows an arrangement of Oxycodone pills in New York. Opioid-related deaths are on the rise in Cook County, officials said Tuesday. Mark Lennihan / Associated Press

Cook County Opioid Deaths Spike Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle says Black residents are being disproportionately impacted by the overdose crisis.

By Nereida Moreno
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Cook County is on track to double the number of opioid-related deaths it saw last year — and the pandemic is only making things worse. Reset checks in with WBEZ’s Kristen Schorsch for the latest on how local officials are responding to the overdose crisis.

GUEST: Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ government and politics reporter