MADISON (WKOW) -- New numbers show drug overdose deaths soared during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show those deaths increased 30% between 2019 and 2020.

The war on drugs feels far from over as the US continues to see rising overdose death rates. In an effort to find a new solution to a decades-old problem, Public Health Madison & Dane County is running three locations across Madison offering a specialized service to people struggling with addiction.

"Syringe service programs are programs that are meant to ensure that people who inject drugs have access to clean equipment," said Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afsher, a faculty member in the UW Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program.

She says as people work through their addiction, clean equipment can at least decrease the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C.

The locations also offer risk reduction information and fentanyl testing strips.

"They also often will give out containers so that people can safely dispose of their syringes, which actually keeps all of us in the community safer," said Salisbury-Afsher.

She says that with safe, clean locations for people to dispose syringes - you won't see the syringes in public. But for users, it's a chance to ease their way into help.

"What we have found is that people who use these services are actually more likely to engage in treatment," Salisbury-Afsher said.

According to the CDC, new syringe service program users were five times more likely to enter drug treatment, and three times as likely to reduce or stop drug use altogether. 

Here, the journey to a clean slate starts with clean needles.

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