Record Number Of Opioid Overdose Deaths Set In MD In 2018

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Despite drug stings across the state and outreach efforts to get addicts into treatment, Maryland's death toll from opioid overdoses topped 2,000 for the second straight year, according to a new report from state health officials. In 2018, a record 2,114 opioid-related deaths were confirmed, a 5.2 percent increase from the previous year.

The preliminary statistics are part of the Opioid Operational Command Center's report released on Thursday.

“Since Governor Hogan declared a state of emergency in response to the opioid crisis in March 2017, Maryland has made tremendous progress in implementing prevention and educational programs, stepping up enforcement, and expanding treatment and recovery programs throughout the state,” said Steve Schuh, executive director of the OOCC, in a news release.

In 2018, there were more than 2,380 total unintentional intoxication deaths, an increase of 5 percent from 2017. Of the total, about 2,110 deaths were opioid-related, an increase of 5 percent from the previous year, the slowest rate of increase in opioid-related fatalities since 2011.

“We are encouraged that the epidemic is starting to plateau,” said Schuh in a news release. “2018 was the second year in a row that fatalities increased by less than 10 percent.”

Schuh's office said two significant opioid-related bills were passed by the Maryland General Assembly during the 2018 session. Those bills were the Overdose Data Reporting Act, which created the Overdose Map program; and the Controlled Dangerous Substances - Volume
Dealers Act, which expands the volume dealer statute to include fentanyl and enables more
effective prosecution of high-level drug traffickers.

You can read the full 2018 annual report here.

Here are some key numbers from the report:

• Heroin-related fatalities in 2018 fell by 23.7 percent.
• Fentanyl-related deaths in Maryland in 2018 totaled 1,866, an increase of 17.1 percent. Fentanyl and its analogs accounted for about 88 percent of all opioid-related deaths last year.
• The number of prescription opioid-related deaths also fell statewide for the second year in a row. There were 371 prescription opioid-related deaths in Maryland 2018, a decline of 10.2 percent.
• The number of cocaine-related deaths increased by 27.9 percent to a total of 784. This is the third straight year of significant increases in the number of cocaine-related fatalities.

Where to Get Help in Maryland

Maryland residents who need help finding substance abuse treatment resources should visit the Department of Health website for links to substance abuse treatment facilities. Or call the Maryland Crisis Hotline, which provides 24/7 support, at 1-800-422-0009. Marylanders grappling with a substance use disorder can find help at BeforeItsTooLateMD.org.

If you know of someone who could use treatment for substance abuse, treatment facilities can be located by location and program characteristics online.

Signs of Overdose:

• Person is not responsive.
• Fingertips or lips turn blue or grey.
• Breathing is slow, shallow or has stopped.
• Person is gurgling or making snoring noises.

What can you do if you see an opioid overdose?

• Call 911.
• If you have naloxone, give the person naloxone and perform rescue breathing.
• If no response after 2-3 minutes, give a second dose of naloxone.
• Do not leave the person alone. Help will arrive.
• If the person starts to breathe or becomes more alert, lay the person in the recovery position; put the person slightly on the left side so that their body is supported by a bent knee with their face turned to the side and bottom arm reaching out to stabilize the position.

Remember the Good Samaritan Law – save a life!

• If you provide help or assist a person experiencing a medical emergency due to alcohol or drugs, you are criminally IMMUNE from being charged, arrested and prosecuted from certain crimes. (Ann. Code Md. CR §1-210)
• The police and the courts believe that saving a life is more important than a charge or an arrest.

How can I lower my risk of overdose?

• Carry naloxone with you at all times and inform others where it is.
• If you haven't used in a while, start slowly. You are at a high risk for overdose after leaving jail, prison or the hospital or after coming out of treatment.
• Avoid mixing substances.
• Be aware that drugs vary widely in purity and strength.
• Don't use alone. If you must use alone, let people know where you are, and never the lock the door.
• Check up on each other.
• Seek treatment.

Efforts to combat opioid abuse include:

Prevention and Education

• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented information campaigns aimed at prevention and stigma reduction has increased by 118 percent, from 11 prior to March 2017 to 24 in 2018.
• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented programs to increase employer support for individuals seeking treatment and those in recovery has increased from 2 prior to March 2017 to 13 in 2018.
• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented programs to support youth impacted by overdose or addiction in their homes has increased from 6 prior to March 2017 to 14 in 2018.

Enforcement

• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented the heroin coordinator program has increased by 33 percent, from 15 prior to March 2017 to 20 in 2018.

Treatment and Recovery

• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented a facilitated approach to referral treatment upon release from a correctional facility has increased by 120 percent, from 10 prior to March 2017 to 22 in 2018.
• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented mobile crisis teams for substance use disorder has increased by 60 percent, from 10 prior to March 2017 to 16 in 2018.
• The number of jurisdictions that have implemented peer recovery specialists in at least one of these areas -- emergency departments, Overdose Survivors Outreach Program (OSOP), OB/GYN offices, other healthcare settings, recovery centers, street outreach, crisis response, stabilization centers, partnering with law enforcement or corrections, schools, CBOs, department of health, fire and rescue, treatment centers, and department of social services -- has increased from 18 prior to March 2017 to all 24 jurisdictions in 2018.