Drug deaths plunge across region
2018 overdoses down by a third from 2017
Drug deaths are down dramatically across the region — and there are several reasons for it.
The Westmoreland County coroner’s office released a report Friday indicating that overdoses in that county in 2018 were down 37 percent from 2017, the lowest number of accidental drug deaths since 2014.
Following record-breaking totals in 2016 and 2017 in Westmoreland County and other areas in the region, the declines could be attributed to a variety of factors — including a national clampdown on drug prescriptions and an increase in treatment availability.
Other counties are seeing drops, too, according to initial numbers reported to OverdosefreePa.com, a project of the Pennsylvania Opioid Overdose Reduction Technical Assistance Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. Fatal overdoses in southwestern Pennsylvania for 2018 appear to be down by about a third compared to the prior year and are likely to come in at their lowest level since 2015.
“Obviously our goal is to have zero deaths,” said Karen Hacker, director of the Allegheny County Health Department. “But the decrease shows a positive change in the right direction.”
According to the Allegheny County medical examiner’s office, the county currently counts 390 overdoses in 2018, but still has as many as 91 pending cases that have not been finalized, including several dozen for which it is awaiting
toxicology results.
Last year, after President Donald Trump declared the opioid crisis a national emergency, he signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act on Oct. 24, which directs funding to federal agencies and states to make addiction treatment a priority.
Funding from the act has helped the Westmoreland Drug and Alcohol Commission expand case management units in the county, director Colleen Hughes said.
“I believe numbers are decreasing because there has been such an increase in outreach and education,” Ms. Hughes said. “We have 24hour access to treatment services available. If someone overdoses, or has a drug/alcohol issue, they can call the 24-hour number and get access to treatment after hours.”
The commission helped fund the Clear Day Treatment Center in Greensburg last September, which houses 14 detox beds and 56 rehab beds. Ms. Hughes said the treatment center has worked with people on medication-assisted treatment. The center also has been able to keep patients on treatment, helping them get well.
The commission also helped fund a Gateway Rehab facility at the Excela Frick Hospital in Mount Pleasant, which initially opened in 2016 housing 16 beds for detox and rehab. It has since expanded to 32 beds, 14 for detox and 21 for rehab.
“We have increased community-based service [in Westmoreland], so we go out into the community to provide help. People don’t always have to come to us,” Ms. Hughes said, referring to an assistance office in Greensburg, run by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Human Services. “I think that has made a significant difference.”
The Westmoreland County coroner reported that fentanyl overdoses decreased 40 percent from 2017, while prescription opioid-related overdoses saw a decrease of 28 percent from 2017. Heroin-related overdoses saw a smaller drop of 4 percent, according to the report.
In recent months, public health advocates also have cited the increasing availability of naloxone — often referred to by the brand name Narcan — which can reverse opioid overdoses. Some speculate that users have become more careful about the use of heroin laced with fentanyl.
Dr. Hacker said the decrease in drug deaths is encouraging, but she cautioned against getting comfortable with the positive results.
“The good news is we’re seeing this decrease,” she said. “The concern I have is that although we are seeing these declines, there are still far too many people who are dying. We have to remain alert to these issues, and we can’t take our foot off the gas pedal.”