opioid-crisis
As the pandemic raged, so did drug overdose deaths | The Numbers Racket
Largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, drug overdose deaths climbed by more than 20,000 from 2019 to 2020.
Pa. opioid deaths increased during COVID-19 pandemic, officials say
Pennsylvania recorded 4,880 opioid deaths in 2020, an increase of 422 deaths from the 2019 tally of 4,458. The increase offsets the progress the Wolf administration’s Opioid Operational Command Center had made between 2018 and 2020, which saw a 20 percent decrease in opioid deaths.
COVID-19 pandemic contributes to increase in overdose deaths, state health officials say
Since the creation of the Opioid Command Center in January 2018 during the height of the opioid crisis, drug overdose-related deaths have fallen by nearly 20 percent in Pennsylvania, according to Barishansky. However, the trend has been flatlining since the middle of last year, continuing into 2020 and coinciding with the spread of COVID-19 -- data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that overdose deaths increased by nearly 6 percent from April 2019 to April 2020.
Wolf extends Pa.’s opioid disaster declaration as COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket | Friday Morning Coffee
A reminder: Pennsylvania is still fighting a public health war on two fronts.
GALLERY: At the Capitol, a day of remembrance and action for those affected by opioid, substance use
On Monday Morning, the Pennsylvania Chapter of Team Sharing, a support and advocacy group for mothers and fathers who have lost children to substance use joined grieving families on the Capitol steps to remember their loved ones and call for more action from leaders in Harrisburg in addressing substance use and opioid addiction across the commonwealth.
States ‘are our eyes and ears,’ top lawmaker says as Pa. asks Congress for help in opioid crisis
States have been trying to respond to a growing problem of addiction and overdose to opioids and other drugs. Overdose deaths have dropped in Pennsylvania.
Two maps that explain the changing geography of the opioid epidemic | Wednesday Morning Coffee
Pennsylvania is making progress. But there are really three opioid epidemics. Not just one.
Overdose deaths down, Wolf says, renewing Pa.’s opioid disaster declaration for the 8th time
Pa.’s opioid prescriptions rate is now below the federal average and overdose deaths declined by 18 percent between 2017-18, the administration said.
Amid opposition from physicians, Wolf signs bill tightening opioid prescription rules
“opioid treatment agreements” will require patients to say they understand the risks of highly addictive opioid drugs and consent to periodic drug testing to prove they aren’t misusing them.