Drug overdose deaths in Washington County increased by 5 from 2018
The number of drug-overdose deaths increased by five from 2018 to 2019, according to Washington County Coroner S. Timothy Warco’s annual statistical report.
There were 81 fatal drug overdoses last year, up from 76 in 2018.
The publication of the coroner’s report coincided with Gov. Tom Wolf’s 11th renewal of an opioid disaster declaration Wednesday to continue to try to combat the drug scourge.
The declaration allows the state to loosen regulations and work outside of typical procedures to expedite aid and initiatives to help those suffering from what Wolf’s office termed “opioid use disorder” and those who work to prevent and treat it.
“In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commonwealth’s Opioid Command Center continues its work to fight another health crisis – the opioid epidemic,” Wolf said in a news release.
“The work that is enabled by this declaration is vital to saving the lives of so many Pennsylvanians, providing education and treatment, and advancing initiatives across the state to continue to battle this epidemic.”
On Tuesday, Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine signed an updated naloxone standing order permitting community-based organizations to provide naloxone by mail.
This is aimed at helping organizations distribute naloxone to Pennsylvanians in need while reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
State officials pointed to a prescription drug monitoring program that has reduced opioid prescriptions by 34%, and according to the state “has virtually eliminated doctor-shopping.”
Drug take-backs have helped Pennsylvanians properly dispose of 178,540 pounds of unwanted drugs last year. The Get Help Now Hotline received nearly 38,700 calls, with almost half of all callers connected directly to a treatment provider.
In Warco’s annual report, only a single death in Washington County was attributed solely to heroin overdose, but heroin combined with another drug or drugs accounted for 30 fatalities.
A dozen deaths were attributed solely to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid painkiller that, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent.
In 51 Washington County coroner’s cases, fentanyl was combined with other drugs, according to toxicology.
Cocaine was attributed solely to three deaths, but it also figured in fatal overdoses, according to toxicology, when two to more than five drugs were present in a corpse.
Fifty of the drug overdoses cases were males, accounting for 62%. Thirty-one females overdosed, which translates to 38% of the overdose cases handled by the Washington County coroner’s office.
Those in their 30s accounted for the largest number of deaths – 24 – followed by those in their 20s with 20 total deaths. No deaths attributable to drug overdose occurred among children under age 10 or those over 69 years.
“Most drug deaths within Washington County are generally ruled “accidental,” but there may be some overlap. For example, among the 32 suicides, two were listed as “suicide by overdose.”
The highest number of drug deaths in Washington County occurred in 2016 with 109.