Officials see new hope in the new year when it comes to fighting the opioid epidemic

Preliminary overdose numbers for Montgomery County are in, and the monthly trends read like a roller coaster. Health officials believe the ride is slowing down, and they want that to continue in 2018.

The Montgomery County Coroners office is putting out a preliminary number of 559, which is a far cry from the 800 accidental overdose deaths that were predicted earlier in the year. The numbers began to fall after a large spike in the spring.

"Our current trend since June is very promising," said Health Commissioner Jeff Cooper with Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.

While the numbers are heading in the right direction, the total is still 60 percent higher than what Cooper said the county finished with in 2016.