RACINE - In Racine County's continued efforts to battle the opioid epidemic and prevent overdose deaths, public distribution of fentanyl test kits began this month. 

Officials have discovered a disturbing trend with street narcotics in the community.  

“Many narcotics are laced with deadly fentanyl, and users have no idea that what they are ingesting may be lethal,” said Racine County's Outpatient Clinic Manager Pauline Ortloff. “Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that can be 80-100 times stronger than morphine. The purpose of fentanyl test strips is to allow the user to test the substance before using it to determine if fentanyl is present.”

The County will now include test kits with their free community Narcan trainings and will also have tests available on a walk-in basis at the Dennis Kornwolf Service Center, located at 1717 Taylor Ave. 

"Our ultimate goal is to stop overdose deaths in our community," added Ortloff. "From 2019-20, overdose rates for Racine County nearly doubled."

The County currently has 2,000 fentanyl testing kits available for distribution and will request more if necessary.

For more information about the free test kits or other treatment resources, please contact the Opioid Resource Hotline at 262-638-6375.