Overdose deaths rise in Montco

County ranks 26th in mortality; fentanyl most frequently reported substance

Nearly 29 out of every 100,000 people in Montgomery County died of a drug-related overdose in 2016, according to new county-by-county figures for Pennsylvania released by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency Thursday.

There were 4,642 drug-related overdose deaths statewide last year, a 37 percent jump over 2015, according to a press release that accompanied the report. That amounts to approximately 13 people dying from an overdose every day.

Three of the five counties in the region went higher in rankings for numbers of drug deaths. Dela--

ware County, which ranked 7th last year, dropped to 18th for 2016, with a rate of 37 death per 100,000 people, and Philadelphia, with a rate of 59.4 deaths per 100,000 people, dropped in rank from 1 to 5.

But Montgomery County, with 28.8 deaths per 100,000, went from 34 to 26, and Chester County rose from 51 to 46, with more than 19 deaths per 100,000. Bucks County also moved up slightly, from 35 to 33, with 27 deaths per 100,000 people.

Fulton County, with more than 74 deaths per 100,000, jumped up the rankings from 32 in 2015 to number 1 in 2016.

The figures were taken from death reports of Pennsylvania coroners and medical examiners, more than half of which indicated the presence of fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic that is 50 to 100 times more powerful than heroin, or fentanyl-related substances. The same substances were found in only 27 percent of deaths in 2015.

The report identified 208 different drugs involved in overdose deaths in 2016. More than 83 percent contained two or more drugs, 40 percent contained four or more drugs, and 12.5 percent contained six or more drugs, according to the report.

Heroin was the secondmost frequently identified substance in drug overdose deaths, at 45 percent, followed by benzodiazepines at 33 percent, cocaine at 27 percent and prescription opioids at 25 percent.

While the number of heroin deaths remained fairly constant throughout the year, fentanyl-related deaths surged as 2016 unfolded. Just 32 percent of overdose deaths were associated with fentanyl in January, compared to 73 percent in December.

“Because fentanyl is so potent, it can cause a much higher rate of overdose death than heroin, despite lower user rates,” the report stated. “Additional indicators reported by law enforcement indicate that users are now seeking out fentanyl instead of unknowingly purchasing fentanyl disguised as heroin, and street-level traffickers are openly marketing fentanyl to customers instead of disguising it as heroin.”

The report indicates 30 percent of drug-related overdose deaths occurred in the 25- to 34-year-old age group, which showed a 970-percent increase in fentanyl presence. Those aged 15-24 saw a 380 percent increase in the presence of fentanyl compared to other age groups.

The 15-24 group accounted for 14 percent of the population and 10 percent of all overdose deaths last year, according to the report. The three most affected age groups, 2534, 45-54, and 35-44, account for approximately 40 percent of the population but suffered 75 percent of overdose deaths in 2016.

Overdose deaths increased by 42 percent in rural counties between 2015 and 2016 and by 34 percent in urban counties. The report indicates 77 percent of overdose deaths occurred among Caucasians, which is consistent with 2015 overdose and population data, though 70 percent were also male, which is inconsistent with the population distribution across the state.

The report was prepared by the DEA and the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy Program Evaluation Research Unit and Technical Assistance Center in an effort to provide municipalities and law enforcement with more data to draw from in combating the opioid epidemic, according to the release.

“The continued lack of standardized and centralized reporting of drug-related overdose death data in Pennsylvania inhibits timely analysis necessary for stakeholders to drive decision-making,” the report concluded. “Efforts must continue amongst the myriad data collectors to streamline compilation and develop a common mechanism for information sharing that serves the public interest.”