There appears to be a slight increase in the number of people who died of a drug overdose in Westmoreland County in 2020, after two consecutive years of reduction.
County coroner statistics show that 102 people died of a drug overdose last year and an additional 19 cases are suspected.
This would represent a 5% increase from the 2019 numbers if the 19 suspected cases were confirmed by toxicology.
After reaching a record 193 drug overdose deaths in 2017, the county saw 122 deaths in 2018 and 115 in 2019.
“We were in a good decline for a few years,” said coroner Ken Bacha.
The powerful fentanyl opioid remains the main killer, contributing 91 of the 102 confirmed deaths, according to coroner statistics.
Those recovering from a substance abuse problem found themselves in a difficult situation for much of 2020, as support organizations and rehabilitation and treatment centers had to adjust their offerings to meet state restrictions designed to slow the spread of the pandemic. of the coronavirus. Face-to-face meetings and other events that can serve as a lifeline have been reduced or moved online, affecting the stability or routine on which someone can depend.
“Zoom is good, but in the 12-step world, people like to touch, hug,” said Colleen Hughes, director of the Westmoreland Drugs and Alcohol Commission, referring to the videoconferencing application. “Those in recovery have really suffered.”
Local prevention organizations have also had to come up with creative ways to get their message across.
The Westmoreland County Overdose Commission and Task Force relied on drive-thru events to distribute naloxone, an antidote to opioid overdose.
“We had to recreate ourselves,” said Tim Phillips, director of the task force.
The organization distributed 400 to 500 doses of naloxone in partnership with Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank for drive-thru distributions, said Phillips.
“I hope that our harm reduction efforts have helped,” he said.
The commission held similar drive-thru events and started sending naloxone to anyone wanting a dose in Westmoreland County, Hughes said. She and Phillips thought that drug overdose deaths would have been much higher in the county in 2020, given the circumstances of the year.
In other parts of the country, yes.
Across the country, the number of deaths appeared to be increasing in 2020, after a slight leveling off in the previous two years, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The organization issued a warning in December that expanded prevention efforts were needed after deaths appeared to be accelerating during the pandemic.
It was unclear how Allegheny’s drug overdose deaths in 2020 would be compared to 2019, when 564 people died and 492 deaths in 2018, according to forensic statistics. There were 492 drug overdose deaths reported in Allegheny in 2020, but it was unclear the last time the information was updated on OverdoseFreePa.com.
Fentanyl was primarily responsible for drug overdose deaths in Westmoreland last year, followed by heroin and prescribed opioids. Hughes and Phillips said that fentanyl – which ranks first since 2016 – appears mixed with other drugs, including cocaine and methamphetamine. Cocaine was present in 23 deaths and methamphetamine in 16 of the confirmed cases, according to coroner statistics.
Monessen was hit hard by overdose deaths in 2020. There were 10 confirmed deaths there, making it the second highest county in the county, behind Greensburg, where Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital is located. In 2019, a person died of an overdose in Monessen.
Hughes said the commission, based in Monessen, plans to focus on the city, placing signs at the death sites to remind residents that naloxone is available. Mon Valley Opioid Coalition members planned to discuss ways to focus on the city that borders Washington County.
Of the 2020 deaths confirmed so far, Hempfield and North Huntingdon had seven each and New Kensington and Sewickley five each. Greensburg had more with 12.
Renatta Signorini is a staff writer for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, [email protected] or via Twitter .
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