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HARRISBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) – Preliminary 2019 data on drug-related overdose deaths shows a decrease of more than one percent across Pennsylvania compared to 2018.
Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine released the data on Tuesday, showing the number of drug-related overdose deaths in 2019 was 4,348 across the state.
“The preliminary data shows that drug-related overdose deaths decreased slightly in Pennsylvania in 2019,” Dr. Levine said. “Amid a national pandemic, we must continue to realize that the opioid crisis has not gone away. Anyone with a substance use issue should contact Pennsylvania’s Get Help Now Hotline at 1-800-662-HELP.”
This data shows a decrease of more than 19 percent from 2017, when the Opioid Command Center was established.
The Opioid Command Center was established in January 2018 after Governor Wolf signed the opioid disaster declaration. The staff are members from 17 state agencies who meet once a week to discuss the opioid crisis.
“During our tenure, the Wolf Administration has worked to strengthen our entire drug and alcohol system to support people suffering with substance use disorder by distributing millions of dollars of federal funding to county and local entities, made naloxone widely available to all Pennsylvanians, and increased access to medication assisted treatment throughout the commonwealth,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. “However, our work is not done. As we battle an epidemic in the midst of pandemic it is important for people to know that drug and alcohol treatment providers are still operating, and help is available.”
The final results will be released in the coming months, along with the 62 death records for 2019 where the county coroner or medical examiner did not report cause of death or toxicology information.
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