Paige Kingham, left, goes for a walk with her 5-year-old son, Ryder Isbell, during their time together in Bend late last year.

BEND — Drug overdose deaths in Central Oregon have increased for three consecutive years, a crisis that regional law enforcement and paramedics say is driven by the highly addictive and potentially lethal drug fentanyl.

At least 29 people in Deschutes, Crook and Jefferson counties died from drug overdoses in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, according to figures released by the Oregon Health Authority in December. That’s roughly 70% higher than 2019, when 17 people reportedly died from drug overdoses.

“I don’t think people understand how serious this epidemic is right now,” said Ben Donovan, 26, of Bend, who said he has survived at least three fentanyl overdoses.

After years of struggling with substance abuse, Donovan’s receiving treatment at a rehabilitation center in Bend. Still, he lives in constant anxiety: he has an enlarged heart, which places him at risk should he relapse and use fentanyl again, he said.

“If I was to go out and use something right now, I would probably overdose,” Donovan said. “I’ve lost I don’t know how many friends to (fentanyl). It’s to the point where somebody needs to talk about it or nobody’s going to talk about it.”

At least 24 of the region’s drug overdose deaths in 2021 occurred in Deschutes County, an 85% increase compared to 2019. Drug overdoses became the second-leading cause of injury-related death in the county in 2021, more than shootings or car crashes, according to the state.

“I don’t even know what to say about that,” said Drew Norris, deputy chief of emergency medicine for Bend Fire & Rescue. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Law enforcement, prosecutors, paramedics and drug treatment workers say the overdose crisis has become even more pronounced in 2022, driving record fentanyl seizures and prompting agencies to acquire and administer large amounts of naloxone, or Narcan, a medication used to reverse the effects of opioids and stop an overdose.

Many overdoses have involved fentanyl being cut into other drugs like heroin, providing a cheap, enhanced high, authorities say. It’s clear to police and paramedics when a bad batch of fentanyl comes to town because it’s often followed by a wave of overdoses.

In October, emergency responders reported at least four drug overdoses over the course of a week on Hunnell Road in Bend, an area where many people camp in tents and trailers while experiencing homelessness. Norris said at the time that paramedics did not know whether or not fentanyl was involved or if anyone died.

From Christmas Eve through New Years Day, Bend Fire & Rescue responded to nine drug overdoses in the county, roughly half of which were fentanyl-related, Norris said. Several of the people required multiple doses of naloxone to halt their overdose. Authorities say the fentanyl being trafficked now is so highly concentrated that more naloxone is required to save a person.

On New Year’s Eve, a 25-year-old inmate at the Deschutes County Jail allegedly snuck fentanyl pills into the jail. He gave the pills to people in his dorm. Within hours, five inmates overdosed. Authorities performed CPR and administered naloxone through the victims’ noses. All five were taken to St. Charles Bend. They survived, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday.

The trends facing Central Oregon echo those unfolding across the state and country.

Oregon reported more than 730 opioid deaths last year, according to the state health agency. More than 70% involved fentanyl, according to federal overdose data.

Annually, fentanyl now kills more people in the U.S. than car accidents, suicides or gun violence, according to a Washington Post analysis. In all, 107,622 people died of drug overdoses nationwide in 2021. Two out of three were due to fentanyl. It’s now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 49, the Post reported.

“I think it’s going to continue to grow until we get some help from the federal government,” said Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, who is part of the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement team. He added: “We need to revisit how many people we let die before all governments come together and make some decision to stop this.”

The scourge of fentanyl leaves long-lasting impacts on the lives of survivors and their families in Central Oregon.

Paige Kingham, 28, of Bend, struggled with substance abuse throughout much of her life while growing up in Prineville. She began using methamphetamine after she was sexually assaulted when she was 13, she said. Over the years, she was arrested, charged and convicted several times for drug dealing, possession, theft and other non-violent crimes. She lost custody of her son and served 15 months in prison.

Soon after Kingham was released in 2020, a friend introduced her to fentanyl. In July, her best friend, Josh, died of a fentanyl overdose, she said. It was her birthday. He was 36, a father and U.S. Army veteran, she said. She attended his funeral, where she saw the impact his death had on his family.

“It just hit a lot closer to home,” said Kingham, who estimates that at least 10 of her friends have died from fentanyl overdoses.

So Kingham decided to change her life. Now, she’s in treatment. She attends therapy. She has a job. Her son lives with her mother in Prineville, and she visits them on weekends. She’s completed the necessary steps required by the state to regain custody of her son, she said, except one: stable housing. She applies again and again for apartments for them, but she’s often rejected because of her criminal record, according to Kingham and emails she provided to The Bulletin.

“It seems like once you’re a felon, it’s a life sentence,” she said. “You have to pay for it in housing, jobs. But just because we’ve made mistakes, that doesn’t mean that’s the people we still are … We just need someone to give us a chance.”

The struggle to take her life back exhausts Kingham. She keeps trying, but sometimes, she said, it leaves her wanting to use again.

“We need to revisit how many people we let die before all governments come together and make some decision to stop this.”

— Sgt. Kent Vander Kamp, Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office