Norwich — While the number of drug overdose deaths in the state is projected to surpass last year’s total by more than 100, it could more than double here if the trend set by the first three months of 2016 continues.

According to town-by-town data released by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Norwich saw nine overdose deaths from January through March this year, with five involving heroin and two related to the use of fentanyl, a more powerful opioid drug.

If that rate holds steady, Norwich would have 36 drug overdose deaths by year’s end — an almost 112 percent increase from the 17 deaths that occurred here in 2015.

That’s compared with a 14 percent projected increase statewide, and a 20 percent increase in the county.

“We’ve most definitely seen a major increase in heroin- and opioid-related overdoses in the last six months or so,” Norwich Deputy Police Chief Pat Daley said, noting that it’s tough for the department to put an exact number on how many overdose calls it has responded to.

That’s in part because the calls are considered medical in nature, he said.

Not only do police in some cases simply assist fire and emergency medical services crews, they also respond to some calls that don’t end up panning out as overdoses.

Additionally, the data from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office groups the deaths only by the city in which the persons died, not by the person’s town of residence or by the town in which the overdose occurred, although there’s overlap among the three in many cases.

Norwich Human Services Director Lee-Ann Gomes said she has noticed an uptick in the number of people affected by opioid-related addiction — one she said has been steady over the past year.

Her organization, she said, is one of several that have been working on a task force created in Norwich last June to tackle multiple aspects of the opioid epidemic.

Consisting of representatives from local soup kitchens, The William W. Backus Hospital, Community Speaks Out, the Southeastern Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and more, the group has hosted local addiction forums and community conversations, lobbied for legislation and helped get addicts into treatment.

The task force also circulates a list of available detox beds among all of its members each day “because so many people are seeking treatment,” Gomes said.

Some of the task force’s member organizations, including Gomes’, carry Narcan kits as well, in part so families and friends of addicts who are interested in learning how to use them can do so.

“Every agency is affected by this,” Gomes said. “It doesn’t discriminate between youth or seniors, or anybody else.”

Increases in drug overdose deaths, the data show, are expected across the state, with fentanyl — a synthetic opioid that’s at least 30 times stronger than heroin — playing a larger role than ever.

Last month, state Chief Medical Examiner Dr. James Gill said that even as the overall increase in accidental drug overdoses appears to be "leveling off," deaths from fentanyl-related overdoses likely will double from 2015 to 2016.

According to the numbers released from his office, fentanyl-related deaths in the state could go from 188 last year to 332 this year — a more than 75 percent increase.

Around the region, police have pointed to fentanyl as being involved in many recent overdoses and drug-related arrests.

In New London County, there were 60 drug overdose deaths in multiple cities, towns and villages last year, with 41 involving heroin and 11 involving fentanyl.

This year, eight of the 18 deaths recorded from January through March, or 44 percent, were fentanyl-related.

Going forward, Gomes said, she hopes the work of her organization and the task force “heightens awareness” and encourages those who are or know someone who is suffering from addiction to ask the right questions or seek help.

Police said they plan to continue tackling the problem from many angles, too — whether working on enforcement, directing people to help or participating in local addiction-related forums.

“We’ve been trying everything, actually — from prevention to treatment to enforcement,” Daley said. “We can’t arrest ourselves out of the problem. We’re going to have to be part of a holistic approach involving everybody.”

l.boyle@theday.com