Opioid-Related Death Rate Rises in Springfield, Gradually Declines Statewide

The Boston Globe reports on the findings of the quarterly report on opioid-related deaths that was recently released by the Department of Public Health (DPH), narrowing in on the areas of Massachusetts that saw the greatest increases and sharpest declines in overdose deaths. The news release highlights the death toll in Springfield:

Among that city’s residents, 80 died of opioid-related overdoses in 2018, more than double the number in 2017 and 2016.

On the contrary, Plymouth County saw a 26% decrease in opioid-related deaths, and as a whole, the state of Massachusetts experienced a gradual decline in the death rate from 2016 to 2018.

The article shares a list of interesting findings from the DPH report:

• In the fourth quarter of 2018, cocaine was present in about 39 percent of opioid-related overdose deaths and amphetamines were present in approximately 9 percent.
• While 72 percent of those who died of opioid overdoses were men, the death rate for women has been increasing.
• After a sharp increase in 2017, fatal overdoses among black men fell back to the 2016 level.
• The number of Massachusetts residents who received opioid prescriptions has dropped 39 percent since the first quarter of 2015.

Read the full article here, or view doctors who prescribe buprenorphine for addiction treatment in Massachusetts.