LUMMI NATION, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – On the heels of a new opioid epidemic report, more people have fatally overdosed in Whatcom County.

The Lummi Tribal Health Center issued an emergency alert saying that within the past week, two of its members have died from potential fentanyl overdoses.

Data on additional overdose deaths in 2024 for Whatcom County is not yet available.

However, drug overdose deaths have increased in Whatcom County every year since 2018 and hit a record high of 132 deaths last year, according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.

The report by US Rep Rick Larsen notes that drug overdose deaths in Washington have increased at the highest rate in the country between 2022 and 2023.

Lummi Nation Chair Anthony Hillaire recently travelled to the nation’s capital to request funds for a new detox center and additional support for its members.

The Lummi Nation declared a state of emergency in September after five fatal overdoses occurred in the span of a month.