Drug deaths in Conn. rose 18% in
In a turn that at least one official called “tragic,” accidental fatal drug overdoses in the state increased 18 percent between 2018 and 2019.
According to a report released Friday by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, there were 1,200 drug intoxication deaths in 2019, compared with 1,017 in 2018. Deaths have skyrocketed since 2012, when there were 357 such deaths. The bulk of deaths — 94 percent — involved an opioid.
The spike was sad news for many in the state, including Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon.
“The rise in accidental overdose deaths is tragic,” she said in a written statement. “Each of those deaths of someone’s mother, father, brother, sister, cousin or friend is a tremendous loss.”
She said DMHAS will continue efforts to stem the crisis by connecting those in need with treatment and services.
“We must continue with our work and with the belief that these tireless efforts will turn the opioid crisis in our state and reduce the number of people lost to overdose,” DelphinRittmon said.
The medical examiner’s report showed that nearly no age group was immune to dying from opioid overdoses. The state reported that the age of those dying from an accidental opioid overdose in 2019 ranged from 17 to 74 years old, though the average age was 43.
Chief Medical Examiner James Gill said there was a 29 percent increase in deaths involving fentanyl and a 34 percent increase in deaths involving cocaine. Of the deaths involving cocaine, 85 percent also involved fentanyl, and fentanyl was involved in 82 percent of all intoxication deaths.
That’s an increase from 2018, when fentanyl was involved in 75 percent of all overdose deaths, and the percentage has been steadily climbing since at least 2012, when it was involved in only 4 percent of all deaths.
Though deaths were spread throughout the state, big cities (most of which have major hospitals, where overdose victims would likely be taken before dying) had the highest numbers of deaths. Hartford
had the most at 169, followed by Waterbury with 125, New Haven with 90 and Bridgeport with 80.
Despite efforts to stem the tide of addiction and overdoses, the numbers show change is difficult, said Dr. Katherine Tait Michael, vice chairwoman of psychiatry and medical director for community health for Nuvance Health, a chain that includes Danbury and Norwalk hospitals. According to the medical examiner’s report, there were 33 overdose deaths in Danbury in 2019 and 18 in Norwalk.
In her experience, Michael said, though prescriptions of opioids by doctors have gone down, the deaths continue to rise.
“What’s evident by the data is how difficult it is to impact (overdose rates),” she said.
The data, she said, also indicates that there needs to be more efforts to identify substance use disorders and connect people with the services they need.
“It really has to be multifactorial,” Michael said.