The tide may be turning in the opioid epidemic that has plagued the region the past few years.
Drug overdose deaths in local counties last year were down, according to information provided by county coroners.
In McKean County, there were eight drug deaths in 2018 — one by morphine, two fentanyl, one oxycodone, one oxymorphone, two bupropion (Wellbutrin) and one loperamide (anti-diarrheal), according to coroner Mike Cahill.
There were nine drug overdose deaths in Elk County, said coroner Michelle A. Muccio.
“The overdose deaths for 2018 include an alarming involvement of fentanyl, as six of the nine were from fentanyl overdoses,” Muccio said. “Two others include overdose from buprenorphine, which is sold under the brand name of Subutex, and the last was a combined drug overdose.”
In Potter County, there was one accidental overdose, said coroner Kevin Dusenbury.
The Pennsylvania Medical Society had data for prior years for some counties. In 2015, McKean County had eight overdose deaths; in 2016, seven; in 2017, eight. While it wasn’t broken down by year for Elk and Potter counties, the total number of overdose deaths in those three years was 23 for Elk and 18 for Potter.
Angela Eckstrom, executive director/SCA county administrator for Alcohol & Drug Abuse Services Inc., said it appears that overdose deaths in her region are down, “which is great news.”
She added, “Three of the overdoses are not narcotics, which is what we are looking at reducing. People accidentally overdose from over-the-counter and other medications more frequently than others realize, at least more than I realized since looking at the stats the past several years.”
Eckstrom talked about the efforts undertaken to stem the opioid epidemic in the region.
“First, it is a combination of efforts and state and local law enforcement (which) always play a big role in reducing the amount of lethal drugs that are available on the streets,” she said. “This is a huge and dangerous task and without their efforts, the number of ODs would be higher.”
The most recent big push for stemming the tide of the epidemic began in January 2018, when Gov. Tom Wolf signed a 90-day disaster declaration. Since then, many programs have been launched to help put an end to what became a public health crisis in Pennsylvania.
Eckstrom explained, “Some of the other state initiatives like physician education, medication monitoring programs and expansion of medication assisted treatment programs have contributed to the reduction of deaths. The state has reported that there has been a 23 percent reduction in opioid prescribing since they began educating physicians and limiting the amount of prescribed opioids an individual can receive after an ER visit.”
These steps are making a difference, she said.
“The increased education, and availability of Naloxone is important as it is an antidote to an overdose,” she continued. “Increased public awareness from the federal, state and local level on the dangers of opioids as well as the availability of services through Medicaid expansion have played a role in the reduction as well, in my opinion.”
Efforts will continue, she assured.
“In the past month, ADAS received the single largest grant award to date that will allow us to expand our case coordination services, recovery support services and strengthen our warm hand-off process with our local hospitals,” Eckstrom said. “It is our goal to make sure that all of the individuals we serve seamlessly move through all of the systems of care to ensure the best possible outcomes.”
