State, Westmoreland see drop in OD deaths; Allegheny sees increase

Pennsylvania saw a slight decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2019 for what could be the second consecutive year the number has dropped.

The state health department on Tuesday released preliminary data that shows 4,348 people died in Pennsylvania from a drug overdose last year, a 1.7% decrease from 2018 when the state saw 4,491 deaths.

That 2019 figure may change as the department still awaits information about 62 deaths from county coroners and medical examiners. But it appears the state’s drug overdose deaths will continue to decrease, just as they have in Westmoreland County over the last two years.

“It follows exactly what the trend has been here,” said Tim Phillips, director of the Westmoreland County Drug Overdose Task Force. “We’re happy that we have kind of leveled off.”

If the 2019 statewide numbers hold, that will be a 19% decrease from the number of deaths in 2017. Officials believe a number of factors have helped with the drop, including the increased availability of opioid overdose antidote naloxone, awareness and the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program.

In Westmoreland County, 115 people died from a drug overdose in 2019, compared to 122 in 2018. In 2017, the county saw a record high of 193 deaths.

In the first six months of 2020, 38 overdose deaths were confirmed in the county and 10 more are pending toxicology results, according to coroner statistics. Phillips said officials hope the downward trend continues, but collaboration with others in the state is ongoing.

“We need to continue to focus on harm reduction efforts,” he said.

In Allegheny County, drug overdose deaths rose slightly in 2019 after decreasing in 2018. Drug overdoses killed 564 people last year, compared to 492 in 2018, according to medical examiner statistics. That was a 47% drop from 2017 when 737 people died there. So far in 2020, 150 deaths in the county were confirmed as drug overdoses, according to OverdoseFreePa.

Both counties saw sharp increases of overdose deaths between 2014 and 2017.

State officials have funneled millions of dollars to communities and created new programs to help connect people with substance use disorders to treatment.

“Absolutely, the county and local community groups are an integral part of the work being done to address the opioid epidemic,” said Nate Wardle, state department of health spokesman. “We know that many of these are able to make life-saving changes in their community and take action in ways the state cannot.”