By CHARLENE LOVETT
On March 17, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and First Lady Chirlane McCray came to Claremont for a roundtable discussion on mental health and substance misuse. The visit was in support of the nationwide, bi-partisan mayoral coalition known as Cities Thrive, which was first launched in 2016 by McCray. The coalition was created to raise awareness and advocate for resources to better address these issues at the local level.
In preparation for the roundtable discussion, which was attended by 16 stakeholders in the area, I prepared a fact sheet of statistics at the state, county and local level. The statistics cover the number of overdose deaths, emergency medical service (EMS) Narcan administration incidents, opioid-related emergency department (ED) visits and treatment for 2018. Taken from the 2018 overview report, compiled by the New Hampshire Drug Monitoring Initiative, the statistics are based on an analysis as of January 16, 2019 with 77 cases pending toxicology.
Below is an excerpt of the fact sheet that I shared with the stakeholders in preparation for the roundtable discussion. It provides a brief overview what is happening at the county and local level in comparison to the state as a whole.
Statewide Overdose Deaths: In 2018, there were 364 overdose deaths in New Hampshire, a decrease from 2017.
The age group with the largest number of drug overdose deaths was 30-39, representing 31 percent of all overdose deaths. The age group with the second highest number of overdose deaths was 40-49, comprising 25 percent of all overdose deaths. The age group with the third highest number was 20-29, representing 19 percent of all overdose deaths.
Statewide EMS Narcan Administration Incidents: In 2018, there were 2,234 EMS Narcan administration incidents. From 2017 to 2018, EMS Narcan administration incidents decreased by 19.5 percent.
The age group with the largest number of EMS Narcan administration incidents was 30-39, representing 32 percent of all EMS Narcan administration incidents for 2018. The age group with the second highest number of EMS Narcan administration incidents was 20-29, comprising 26 percent of all incidents. The third highest age group was 40-49, representing 15 percent of the EMS Narcan administration incidents.
Statewide Opioid-Re-
lated (ED) Visits: There were 5,539 opioid related ED visits, a 17.6 percent decrease from 2017.
The age group with the largest number of opioid related ED visits was 30-39, representing 35 percent of all opioid related ED visits. The age group with the second largest number of opioid related visits was 20-29, comprising 34 percent of the visits. The third largest age group was 40-49, representing 14 percent of visits.
Treatment (to state-funded facilities): There were 3,319 opioid/opiate, methamphetamine, and cocaine/crack treatment admissions, a decrease of 17.5 percent from 2017.
In 2018, 82 percent of treatment admissions for the referenced substances involved opioid/opiates.
Sullivan County Over-dose Deaths: Sullivan County had four overdose deaths, the lowest of any county in the state.
County EMS Narcan Administration Incidents: The county had 19 EMS Narcan administration incidents, the lowest in any of the N.H. counties. This marked a decrease from the number of incidents in 2017.
County Opioid Related ED Visits: Sullivan County had 111 opioid-related ED visits, the third lowest of the 10 counties. Compared to 2017, this was a decrease in the number of ED visits.
Treatment (to state-funded county facilities): Sullivan County had 14 opioid/opiate, methamphetamine, and cocaine/crack treatment admissions. This marked a drop in the number of admissions from 2017.
Claremont: In 2018, 1-4 overdose deaths occurred in which Claremont was the suspected location of use. In 2018, 1-10 EMS Narcan administration incidents occurred in the city.
Charlene Lovett is the mayor of Claremont and welcomes your feedback. Please email questions, comments or concerns to her at [email protected].
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