Concord's 2016 Opioid-Related Death First in Years, State Data Shows

CONCORD, MA – Despite aggressive efforts to curb abuse, the opioid epidemic continues to plague the country. Bay Staters know this all too well – Massachusetts has been hit hard, in some communities more than others, and opioid-related deaths continue to rise.

On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) released updated 2015 and 2016 data on opioid-related overdose deaths in the state. The DPH last year began including fentanyl and its relationship to opioid-related deaths, and also emergency transportation related to overdoses and naloxone data. This year the DPH started counting opioid deaths that were determined to be suicides by the medical examiner.

Numbers across Massachusetts are on the rise. There were 1,933 opioid-related overdose deaths statewide in 2016, a 16 percent increase from 2015. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is still waiting on additional cases from 2015 and 2016, and the report is updated quarterly.

Concord for the most part has managed to stay above the fray but last year saw its first opioid-related death in at least five years. The town reported zero deaths from 2012-2015 and one in 2016, according to the most recent data. The DPH tracks data back to 2012.

"This enhanced level of data collection is a critical resource to help the administration, public safety officials and health care professionals understand the destructive impact of opioid-related overdoses in every corner of the Commonwealth," said Gov. Charlie Baker in a statement. "We will continue to monitor trends and respond through targeted prevention, treatment and recovery services to break the negative momentum of this crisis."

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