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"A spokesman at Fletcher-Allen Health Care said the hospital's emergency department saw eight heroin overdoses Tuesday. That's the number the ER usually sees in 2-3 months.On the WPTZ App? Tap here to see the video.Hospital officials are concerned there is something in the latest mix of the illegal drug causing the trips to the ER. They want to get the word out before there are even more cases.\u201CSomehow the supply of heroin that's coming in to Vermont right now is of a different strength of potency than usual,\u201D said the hospital\u2019s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Stephen Leffler. \u201COnce every two or three years we'll have something happen on the supply side where we'll see a huge number of overdoses in a short period of time.\u201DBob Bick at Burlington\u2019s HowardCenter said he expects to see more overdoses as heroin steadily traffics into the region.\u201CThe cycle of spikes potentially is going to accelerate,\u201D Bick said. \u201CSometimes the purity of the substance varies. Sometimes it's been adulterated with other things.\u201DTuesday\u2019s warning comes as three Vermonters died in January from heroin laced with the potent narcotic Fentanyl.Bick recommends users pick up a Naloxone kit. It contains a nasal spray, commonly known as Narcan, for overdose emergencies.Leffler and Bick agreed calling 911 is the best thing to do in the event of an overdose.\u201CIf someone doesn't seek medical care or is alone when they do it, it can slow their breathing down to the point where they would die,\u201D Leffler said.As of 9 p.m., no other area hospitals have reported similar spikes in overdoses.On the WPTZ App? Click here to see photos of recent heroin arrests."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.mynbc5.com/article/fletcher-allen-sees-spike-in-heroin-cases/3316235>