State report compiles Alaska’s drug overdose data from 2013-2017

WASILLA— Alaska’s age adjusted drug overdose mortality rate in 2017 was the highest it’s been in the last 10 years at 19.3 death per 100,000 people, according to a report released by the Division of Public Health Section of Health Analytics & Vital Records and the Office of Substance Misuse and Addiction Prevention within the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services on Nov. 8.

“Recent progress to reduce drug overdoses in Alaska includes the widespread distribution of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, new training for health care providers and prescribers and the designation of Alaska as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, which brings $5 million in annual federal funding to support collaborative drug enforcement,” according to a recent press release regarding the DHSS report.

The Matanuska Susitna Public Health Region was ranked with the lowest AA mortality rates at 12.5 per 100,000 people, while the Anchorage Public Health Region took first place at 27.4 per 100,000 people, and the Southeast Public Health Region placed in second at 20.5 per 100,000 people, according to the report.

The DHSS gathered the AA drug mortality data from Alaska Vital Statistics, pooling information from around the state. Vital records include data from births, deaths, fetal deaths, divorces, and marriages, as well as reports of adoption, paternity, and amendments, according to the DHSS website.

Earlier this year, DHSS released a brief preliminary report for opioid overdose mortalities up to June, showing signs of decreased opioid overdose deaths during the first half of this year and this new report provides updated data for all drug overdose mortalities, going beyond opioid overdoses and using data from data 2013 through the end of 2017, according to the press release.

“Mirroring national trends, the new report shows an overall increase in overdose deaths between 2013 and 2017,” according to the press release.

The report showed that from 2013 to 2016, national overdose deaths increased by 43.5 percent while Alaska’s rates increased by 21.1 percent during that same period of time, leaving 620 people dead.

Data from the report illustrated some drug overdose trends, showing that benzodiazepine, methamphetamine, psychotropics, and sedative overdose deaths are all up. From 2015 to 2017: overdose deaths increased for benzodiazepine by 80 percent, methamphetamine increased by 211 percent, psychotropic by 127 percent, and sedative by 59 percent, according to the report.

“This data show how the opioid epidemic has evolved, with an increasing number of deaths involving other substances, including stimulants and alcohol,” DHSS Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Jay Butler stated in the press release. “All of this highlights the need to not just focus on opioids, but to address the broader issues of substance misuse and addiction, including binge drinking and alcoholism, and how misuse of these substances affects public health, public safety, and the criminal justice system.”

According to the report, drug overdose deaths surged for each type of drug except for heroin and other narcotics from 2016 to 2017, but opioid analgesics/pain relievers and sedatives combinations ranked the highest for lethal drug interactions, accounting for one out of six overdose deaths from 2013 to 2017.

Report data revealed the top three age categories for AA overdose deaths from 2013 to 2017, showing that young and middle aged adults were the highest. According to the report, in 2017 AA overdose mortality rates were highest for those aged 45-54 years old (39.3 per 100,000 people), then 35-44 years old (34.2 per 100,000 people) and 25-34 years old (30.5 per 100,000 people) in third.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com