Homeless death rate will plateau in 2022 – but inequality persists – Daily News

The number of homeless people dying in Los Angeles County began leveling off in 2021-2022 after two years of significant spikes. But the gap in mortality rates between the homeless and the county's general population continues to widen, a new Los Angeles County report finds. County Public Health Department.

county Fifth Annual Report on Homeless MortalityThe report, published on Thursday, May 9, was welcomed by public health officials and experts on the one hand, who said that an overall 2% increase in 2022 would mean mortality rates would “plateau” in this population. . 56% jump from 2019 to 2021.

But at the same time, health officials say that while drug and alcohol overdose deaths have leveled off after increasing significantly from 2019 to 2021, drug abuse overdoses will still be the number one cause of death among homeless people in 2022. It was pointed out that the Fentanyl overdose deathOpioids, the synthetic form of opioids, continued to increase in 2022 among all racial and ethnic groups and among both men and women.

This report reflects data through 2022 only.

Will Nicholas, director of the county's Department of Public Health Health Impact Assessment Center, said the department is “cautiously optimistic” the overall death curve will flatten, but it's too early to call it a trend. He said it was too early.

“The mortality rate remains unacceptably high, but it is good to see that we are seeing a plateau,” Nicholas told reporters. “In the future, our goal is to see that curve start to turn downward.”

From 2021 to 2022, the overall death rate increased by 2%, from 3,215 per 100,000 to 3,282 per 100,000.

“Each number in this report represents that person, sister, brother, mother, father, child or friend of someone,” said Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer. “Each life lost should be a call to action for all of us.”

She said she was concerned that although the death rate among homeless people has plateaued, there are still “alarming inequalities” between homeless people and all other county residents.

“Continuing disparities in overall health outcomes between housed and unhoused people show that people experiencing homelessness in our county are facing critical health and well-being challenges.” “It's a reminder of the lack of basic resources and conditions,” Ferrer said.

inequality continues

In 2021 and 2022 combined, homeless people were about four times more likely to die than L.A. County's total population, according to the report. This number has increased from 2017 to 2019, when the homeless death rate was nearly three times as high.

Additionally, the county is also seeing an increase in certain causes of death. In 2021 and 2022 combined, homeless people were 41 times more likely to die from an overdose and about 18 times more likely to die. die in a traffic accident Homicide or homicide compared to the county population as a whole.

“This report is cold comfort, and no one is celebrating the 'plateauing' of mortality rates,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement. “Homelessness is deadly and we need to reduce harm and street medical programwhat we really need is get people off the streets and into safe housing”

The top causes of death for the homeless population in 2021 and 2022 combined were: Drug and alcohol overdose (37%) coronary heart disease (12%) and traffic-related injuries (8%).

murder and suicide Officials say the top causes of death for the homeless population in 2022 have almost been determined.

They found that while the overall suicide rate among homeless people has remained relatively stable over the years, the suicide rate among unhoused 18- to 29-year-olds nearly doubled between 2020 and 2022, and by 2022. In 2017, this age group had the highest suicide rate.

Officials also noted that deaths from COVID-19 peaked in 2021, making it the fifth leading cause of death among homeless people. However, by 2022, the death rate due to COVID-19 will have significantly decreased and it will no longer be among the top 10 causes of death among people without housing.

Recommended action

On Thursday's conference call, health experts said many of the reasons why overdose deaths have leveled off include: Improving access to naloxonedrugs that can quickly reverse the effects of an overdose, and other “harm reduction efforts.”

In addition to continuing to increase access to naloxone, the county Department of Public Health has released a series of recommendations to further reduce deaths among homeless people.

They include:

• Expand the range of permanent and supportive housing options available, including housing for people who still use drugs.
• Maintain and expand harm reduction and Overdose prevention and response services.
• Increase curbside-based engagement, outreach, and drop-in space, and expand telemedicine and mobile health services.
• Expand access to comprehensive primary and preventive care, mental health and substance use services.
• Support comprehensive wraparound services to increase access to chronic disease management, including cardiac care.
• Work with local governments and unincorporated communities to identify areas with high rates of fatalities and injuries caused by homeless people so that steps can be taken to prevent increases in traffic fatalities.

This week's report is based on data from the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office and state death records; Los Angeles Department of Homeless Services annual homeless count.

To view the full report, please visit: publichealth.lacounty.gov/chie.