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ACOPC Allegheny County Overdose Prevention Coalition Presents. PERMEATING BORDERS OVERDOSE PREVENTION Summer Conference 2014 July 24, 2014. The Overdose Problem in Allegheny County. Karl Williams MD, MPH Chief Medical Examiner Allegheny County.
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ACOPCAllegheny County Overdose Prevention CoalitionPresents PERMEATING BORDERS OVERDOSE PREVENTION Summer Conference 2014 July 24, 2014
The Overdose Problem in Allegheny County Karl Williams MD, MPH Chief Medical Examiner Allegheny County
The Overdose Problem in Allegheny County2008-2014 Allegheny County Overdose Prevention Coalition Summer Conference July 24, 2014 Karl E. Williams, MD MPH Chief Medical Examiner Allegheny County
Scope of the National Problem • In 2007, approximately 27,000 unintentional overdose deaths occurred in the U.S., one death every 19 minutes (MMWR, January 13, 2013) • Rate of unintentional overdose deaths in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, largely attributed to prescription drug abuse
Scope of the National Problem • Prescription drug abuse is the fastest growing drug problem in the U.S. • Since 2003, more overdose deaths have involved opioid analgesics than heroin or cocaine combined
Overdoses of Prescription Opioid Pain Relieversand Other Drugs Among Women–U.S., 1999-2010Reported in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly July 5, 2013 • Overdose deaths increasing steadily • In 2012, total of 15,323 deaths among women were attributed to drug overdoses • Opiate pain reliever (OPR) deaths increased five fold between 1999 -2010 for women • OPR deaths among men increased 3.6 times • Conclusion: More men die from drug overdoses than women, however % increase in deaths since 1999 is greater for women
Crude rates for drug overdose deaths and drug misuse-or abuse-related emergency department visit among women by select drug class
Medical Examiner Data(2002 - 2012) • According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, there have been approximately 2,847 overdose deaths in Allegheny County between January 1, 2002 and December 31, 2012. • On average, there were 259 cases reported each year during this time period.
Scope of Problem in Allegheny County2012 ACOME Death Investigations: • Total Number of cases: 1138 • Accidental Deaths: 446 (39.1%) • Unintentional Drug Deaths: 288 (25.31%) • Unintentional Drug Deaths as % of Accidental Deaths: 64.5%
Drug Death by Race/Sex in 2012 • White males accounted for highest % of deaths (52.4%) • White females accounted for 32.2% in 2012 • Number of white females increasing: 2011: 29% 2010: 27% • Other races, both M and F accounted for 15.2% of deaths
Examining Community Distress Severely Distressed Neighborhoods • Percentage of population below 100% of the federal poverty line • Percentage of families headed by single females • Percentage of youth ages 16 to 19 without a high school diploma or equivalent, and not enrolled in school • Percentage of civilian males ages 16-64 who are unemployed or not in the labor force • Threshold = One standard deviation above the mean McKees Rocks Homewood Duquesne McKeesport The Growing Number of Kids in Severely Distressed Neighborhoods: Evidence from the 2000 Census By William O. Hare and Mark Mather October 2003 Annie E. Casey Foundation, Population Reference Bureau
Community Need Index(measuring relative need) • Population below 100% of the federal poverty line† • Families headed by single females† • Youth ages 16 to 19 without a high school diploma or equivalent, and not enrolled in school† • Civilian males ages 16-64 who are unemployed or not in the labor force† • Population below 200% of the federal poverty line • Houses vacant • Households with no available vehicle * All indicators are Census variables measured as percentages † Indicators included in Hareand Mather’s criteria for severely distressed neighborhoods
Community Need Index – Full County McCandless Tarentum Coraopolis Penn Hills Millvale McKees Rocks Monroeville Carnegie Braddock Bridgeville Brentwood Baldwin McKeesport Clairton Forward
Comparison NEW METHOD Communities Outside the City (Top 50% with Highest Level of Need) OLD METHOD Population Below Federal Poverty Line, 2005-2009 Zoom
Comparison NEW METHOD Communities Outside the City (Top 50% with Highest Level of Need) OLD METHOD Population Below Federal Poverty Line, 2005-2009 Penn Hills Penn Hills Homewood Wilkinsburg Wilkinsburg Pitcairn Pitcairn Homestead Homestead Braddock Braddock Duquesne Duquesne McKeesport McKeesport
Overdose by Location - 2 Overdose by Home (Residence) Address
Top Ten Tracts by Incidents(2002 - 2012) *Hospital addresses are commonly given as incident addresses – the majority of the above counts reflect treatment locations not residence location of the individuals.
Other Observations(2002 - 2012) • 91% of the deaths were ruled as accidental. • Around 65% of the time, the incident occurred in the individual’s home. • The number of overdoses remained rather steady over the course of year but occurred most frequently in December (9%) and May (8.9%) and least frequently in October (7.6%) and November (7.4%).
ACOME Drug Deaths • Most drug deaths involve multiple drugs (61%> 1 drug) • Single drug deaths in 2008-2010 attributed to cocaine, heroin or alcohol • Alcohol listed on death certificate on 18-24% of drug deaths in 2008-2010 • Cocaine and heroin common co intoxicants • Benzodiazepines often found with opiates
2012 Top 8 Drugs Found • Heroin most prevalent, identified in 47.9% of overdose deaths • Alcohol: 25.0 % • Cocaine: 23.2 % • Alprazolam: 12.5 % • Oxycodone: 10.7 % • Morphine : 10.7 % • Oxymorphone: 9.0 % • Methadone: 7.2 % • Hydrocodone (5.2%), Codeine (3.8%), and Fentanyl(4.8%) not as prevalent • Low incidence of amphetamine, methamphetamine and other designer drugs (<1%)
Misclassification of Morphine Deaths • Heroin undergoes rapid breakdown to 6MAM and then to morphine • Heroin has a half-life of 9 minutes, and 6 MAM 39 minutes • Morphine has a longer half-life (1.3-6.7 hours), and therefore depending on survival time might be the only drug detected • In the absence of a drug history, stamp bags, or track marks, some heroin deaths may be classified as morphine deaths
Summary • Heroin is responsible for greatest percentage of overdose deaths in Allegheny County. • Oxycodone and oxymorphone identified in 19.7% of overdose deaths. • The number of overdose deaths in the 20-34 year old age category is increasing. • Pittsburgh has a “traditional pattern” of drug use.
Acknowledgements • Jennifer Janssen, Department of Labs, ACOME • Erin Dalton, Department of Human Services/Allegheny County • Kristen Mertz, MD, MPH – Department of epidemiology/GSPH/University of Pittsburgh • Patricia Rekiel – Computer Analyst, ACOME