New data from the federal government shows that emergency rooms in Illinois saw an increase of 66-percent for opioid-related overdose visits last year. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Tuesday that state emergency room visits were up all over the state. Acting CDC director Dr. Anne Schuchat said that the emergency room visit data is useful, since it shows when and where people are overdosing. She says that states use that information to identify where resources are needed to improve. The CDC report found that opioid-related emergency room visits rose an average 35-percent across 16 states, between July 2016 and September 2017. The Midwest and large metropolitan areas saw the largest increases. Schuchat called the report “concerning,” but she said that there is an opportunity now for hospitals, law enforcement and community groups to create a partnership to address this crisis.