Whitley County is trying to take a proactive stance to combat what is a leading cause of death in Kentucky -- drugs.
"Well, we know that it's a problem. At Whitley County UNITE, we are all about giving information out to the public, so we want to make the public more aware, overdose deaths are definitely a problem. They are definitely in our community, and we want them to be more aware of how large the numbers are," said Angelika Bowling.
UNITE stands for unlawful narcotics, investigations, treatment, and education. Among other activities, it promotes education about illegal drug use in communities.
Toward that end, the coroner of Whitey County gave a presentation to the group Monday highlighting the number of drug related deaths this year in Whitley County.
In the first half of the year, Whitley County averaged three drug-related deaths in a month, a problem that the coroner says is too many.
"When you have one a year, it's one too many, but when you have 50, 60 or even seventy (deaths) a year, that's 60 or 70 too many, especially if it's a problem that can be stopped," said coroner Andy Croley.
In 2011, drug overdoses were the leading cause of accidental death in Kentucky, outpacing people killed on state roads.