PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has released new data on overdose deaths in 2023 and the city’s effort to prevent them.
Health officials on Tuesday confirmed earlier estimates that 1,310 people died in Philadelphia as a result of overdoses. That’s down slightly from 2022 but still the second-highest number of overdose deaths the city has seen in one year.
Dr. Daniel Teixeira da Silva, medical director of the department’s Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction (SUPHR) division, said the figures vary by demographic group.
“While there was a 15% decrease among non-Hispanic white people, there was only a 5% decrease among non-Hispanic Black people and a 2% increase among Hispanic people,” he explained.
While Kensington continued to be the hotspot, da Silva said, there were overdoses citywide.
“Most overdoses do occur indoors and in most neighborhoods, over 70% of fatal overdoses were among residents of that community, so I encourage you to check on your neighbors and carry naloxone.”
Overdose Response Director Keli McLoyd said the city plans to expand its canvassing program for prevention with an emphasis on Spanish speakers. “We really want to make sure as a city that we are supporting all of our residents,” she said.
The program started in Oct. 2023. According to McLoyd, canvassers have distributed 32,000 doses of naloxone and 35,000 fentanyl test strips.
Fentanyl is present in 80% of overdose deaths. Officials credit increased access to naloxone for some of the decrease. They’ve projected another drop in overdose deaths for 2024, but still expect it to remain above 1,100.
Xylazine, or tranq, also continued to be a scourge — present in 30% of overdose deaths but also responsible, in 2023, for the highest burden of skin wounds among drug users. Meanwhile, new drugs have emerged on the street since 2023. One of them, known as rhino tranq, is now found more frequently than xylazine.