Overdose deaths in Allegheny County went up again last year, according todata released on Friday. A total of 719 overdose deaths occurred in 2021,up about 5% from 689 deaths in 2020.
Dr. Karl Williams is the chief medical examiner for Allegheny County. He said overdose deaths began to fall around 2017 after Pennsylvania made the opioid overdose treatment naloxone available at pharmacies without a prescription from a doctor.
But overdose death rates have begun to climb over the last few years as synthetic opioids like fentanyl have become more readily available.
“All of these drugs have been known since the 70s, so they aren’t new drugs. They’re just now being manufactured more radically,” Williams said.
Overdose deaths account for more than a quarter of all cases investigated by the Medical Examiner’s office.
Black residents in Allegheny County were disproportionately affected by fatal overdoses. Black residents died at a rate of 115 per 100,000 residents — roughly double the rate of white residents.
Synthetic opioids are often less receptive to naloxone, which Williams said is partly to blame for the increase in deaths in Allegheny County and nationwide.
More than one drug was present in about 80% of deaths; fentanyl and cocaine were most commonly found in deaths where one or multiple drugs were involved. Para-fluorofentanyl and heroin were often contributing factors in deaths from multiple drugs.
“Virtually all [overdose deaths] are mixtures of these drugs,” Williams said. “There are very few overdoses that are just a single drug.”
But single-drug overdoses can happen. In 2021, six people died from acetaminophen overdoses. Though acetaminophen is commonly found in medicines like Tylenol and can be bought over the counter, it can be deadly if not used correctly.
Williams said he hopes the data will help county officials to better distribute resources, including syringe service programs and naloxone, to people who need them.
“You can’t target what you’re going to do. You can’t address problems without knowing what the problems are and where they are,” he said.
Last year, the Allegheny County Health Department’s overdose prevention program helped distribute more than 18,000 doses of Narcan, the brand name for naloxone.
“There are no words to express the anguish we all feel for the number of lives lost to the overdose crisis,” Dr. Debra Bogen, the county health department director said in a statement.
The health department plans to launch a campaign designed to reduce the stigma around substance use disorder and treatment and provide harm reduction tools that will run through August.
People who need information about or support for substance use can visitPA Get Help Now’s website or call 1-800-662-HELP (1-800-662-4357).
