Drug deaths in central Pennsylvania are on the decline, CDC report suggests

May 22, 2024 | 4:12 pm

• 
  Katie Knoll
  

  

  Katie Knoll was WITF’s 2023 Newsroom Summer Intern.

  She is currently a senior at Penn State University, majoring in digital/print journalism and political science. She has also worked at WPSU, The Daily Collegian, and CommRadio.

FILE – The overdose-reversing drug Narcan is displayed during a training session for Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) staff, Dec. 4, 2018, in Philadelphia. The death of a seventh-grader in Connecticut from a fentanyl overdose has reignited calls for schools to stock the opioid antidote naloxone. The 13-year-old Hartford student died Saturday after falling ill at school two days ago. The school didn't have naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, but city officials have now vowed to put it in all schools. Fatal overdoses among U.S. youth are on the rise because of the opioid epidemic, but they remain relatively rare. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE – Narcan, the drug that reverses overdoses, is on display during a training session for Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) staff on Dec. 4, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

spare CDC Data Overdose deaths nationwide and in Pennsylvania are on the decline, projected to reach 5,248 in 2023 and 4,764 in 2024, a 9.22 percent decrease.

The CDC noted that the data is preliminary, but a decline is still expected once final numbers are analyzed.

Dauphin County is just one area in central Pennsylvania where drug-related death rates are decreasing.county 2023 Coroner's Report 125 deaths were due to drug-related deaths and 18 were due to accidents. Number of drug-related deaths in 2024 As of April. If this rate is maintained throughout the year, the county will have 54 deaths.

Jill London, director of behavioral health at Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg, said that although the number of cases has remained relatively constant, people are seeking help in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said he now feels a sense of security.

“I really think that before COVID, there was so much stigma that no one recognized, let alone admitted, that they needed help,” London said. “I think it's just a recalibration of our approach to addiction and substance use disorders, from how we think about them to how we use language. When we talk about reducing stigma, it becomes easier to talk about what we do. When people feel comfortable opening up about what they use and what they use, we can more effectively help them become independent.”

And the increased aid appears to be having an effect, as the numbers are falling.

London said a lot of the financial aid is coming from the state.

“Pennsylvania has done a great job of leveraging and allocating funding to allow agencies like ours to actually be on the ground and help individuals struggling with substance use,” she said.

Lancaster County has also seen a significant drop in overdose deaths, according to data from the county coroner. Last year the total 85 people died from accidental drug overdosesthe latest data for February 2024 shows that Eight people died from overdosesIf that rate holds for the rest of the year, the county's death toll would be 48.

For Amy Secrist, communications coordinator and prevention specialist for education and prevention organization Compassmark, the factors that have contributed to the decline in deaths include getting overdose-reversing drugs like Narcan into the hands of the public and increasing treatment options. It was a “concerted effort” to improve access.

“The idea is that when someone needs treatment, there's 'no wrong door,' so to speak,” Secrist said. “For example, Lancaster juvenile probation and adult probation now have social workers who support their clients. Lancaster County Jail has peer specialists who are in long-term addiction recovery to help people transition and get services after they leave prison. So it's a collaborative effort.”

But she said the decline in death rates has not been equal across all demographics: People of color have seen rising drug-related deaths.

“The quality of health care for Black, Native American and Hispanic populations is poorer,” Sechrist said. “With fewer health care providers and higher poverty levels, people can't be as selective about their health care. They just don't get as much attention as other Americans because there's a stigma in health care.” .”

But Secrist said education and expanding available resources are helping, so any solutions that increase access and education need to be accessible across all demographics.

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