Washington ( CNN ) -- Concerned over the rise in heroin overdose deaths , U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder is vowing to increase efforts to fight what he called an `` urgent public health crisis . '' In a video released Monday , Holder said the increased efforts will not only include law enforcement activity , but also treatment and efforts to keep people off the deadly drug . `` It 's clear that opiate addiction is an urgent -- and growing -- public health crisis . And that 's why Justice Department officials , including the ( Drug Enforcement Administration ) , and other key federal , state , and local leaders , are fighting back aggressively , '' Holder said , adding that heroin overdoses increased by 45 percent between 2006 and 2010 . Are heroin death probes created equal ? One of the main efforts , Holder said , was to attack the problem by combating highly addictive prescription pills , which studies show often lead to heroin use . `` With DEA as our lead agency , we have adopted a strategy to attack all levels of the supply chain to prevent pharmaceutical controlled substances from getting into the hands of non-medical users , '' Holder said . As an example of the growing problem , the Justice Department says there was a 320 % increase in heroin seized along the southwest U.S. border from 2008 through 2013 . The attorney general is also asking that first responders be equipped with a overdose-reversing drug called Naloxone . Parts of New Jersey and New York State already use the drug , which is injected into patients suffering from heroin overdoses . How heroin kills you . The heroin epidemic , and the antidote for overdose . Long Island sees exploding heroin use .
Heroin overdoses increased 45 % from 2006 to 2010 , Attorney General Eric Holder says . The Justice Department will work to reduce the number of deaths , he announces . Keeping prescriptions pills away from non-medical users part of the plan , he says .