The number of people going to the emergency room for opioid overdoses in North Carolina increased 40 percent in 2017.
Data from the state department of health and human services show last year more than 5,700 people were admitted to emergency departments for overdoses. That is nearly double the number of people who went to the hospital for the same reason in 2009.
State data also showed the majority of patients going to emergency rooms for opioid overdoses are between 25 and 34 years old and predominantly white.
The highest rates for overdoses were in Pamlico, Swain, McDowell, Haywood, Craven, Cabarrus, Vance, Buncombe, Rowan, Yadkin and Stokes counties.