Sep 18, 2018 3 min read

It’s no surprise the heroin epidemic still exists in Washington County. But the fact it apparently isn’t relenting was underscored by a study that was released last week.

Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, an independent state agency, analyzed statistics from 2016 and 2017, and found there were 37.9 hospitalizations per 100,000 Washington County residents for heroin overdoses. That was the sixth-highest rate among the state’s 67 counties – exceeded by only Philadelphia, Beaver, Delaware, Cambria and Bucks.

The report did not provide figures for Greene County, because of a low volume of reports, and it did not break down the “hospitalizations” into admissions and emergency room trips.

One facet of the PHC4 study was somewhat encouraging for Washington County. Its rate of hospitalizations for overdoses from pain medication declined 2.4 percent from 2016. Washington ranked 28th among counties – in the middle of the pack. Its figure was 24.7 per 100,000 residents.

Neighboring Fayette and Westmoreland did not fare as well, finishing seventh and eighth, respectively. Lawrence was 10th. (Again, there were no numbers for Greene.)

Few positives came out of this report. It also determined that the hospitalization rate for state residents 55 and older jumped nearly 36 percent between 2016 and 2017. And during that time frame, the rate of hospital admissions for heroin overdoses for all ages increased by 12.5 percent statewide. The overdose rate for lower-income residents, according to the study, went up 41 percent, and soared by 49 percent among Pennsylvanians of Hispanic descent.

Joe Martin, executive director of the council, described opioid use as “an ‘equal opportunity offender'” in a news release. He said it “affects all segments of Pennsylvania’s population; yet, some have been hit particularly hard. While Pennsylvania has made progress in curbing admissions for pain medication, heroin continues to be a significant challenge.”

In an article on the quandary last week, Cheryl Andrews, executive director of the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission, told the Observer-Reporter’s Brad Hundt that a possible upside to the rate of hospitalizations is patients may start receiving treatment for addiction. She also said people who have overdosed are more aware they will probably will not be arrested if they go to an emergency room. Andrews added that “hospitals are doing a fabulous job of doing a warm handover” to agencies where addicts can get help.

The study also determined there were 3,500 hospitalizations for opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania last year. That figure, amazingly, was almost an even split between overdoses from heroin (1,753) and overdoses from pain medication (1,747). The rate of hospitalizations for the two categories combined was 16.5 per 100,000 residents.

Heroin remains an ominous issue throughout Pennsylvania and, certainly, this part of the state. The PHC4 study indicates that headway is being made on the pain medication side, but there is still a long way to go. This is a multiheaded monster that isn’t easing its grip.