ST. LOUIS 鈥 狐狸视频 County recorded a decrease of almost 11% in drug-related deaths last year, marking its biggest year-over-year decrease in almost a decade.
Data provided by the 狐狸视频 County Medical Examiner鈥檚 Office showed the county鈥檚 first decrease in drug-related deaths since 2015, when it reported a drop of almost 8%. Since then, about one-third of the drug deaths in Missouri have come from the 狐狸视频 region.
County officials say the decrease can鈥檛 be attributed to just one approach. But they credit efforts to distribute the overdose reversal drug naloxone, also known by its brand name Narcan, an increase in training and more targeted community outreach.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a combined effort of all the entities across the region,鈥 said Damon Broadus, director of health promotion and public health research for 狐狸视频 County. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 not causation, but you can say it鈥檚 a correlation.鈥
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Broadus said one of the major goals of the county鈥檚 community outreach is to move 鈥渇rom ZIP code level to neighborhood level鈥 to help ensure that areas with the highest rates of drug deaths also receive the most resources.
Another group working to maintain the decrease is PreventEd, an organization that provides training to community outreach centers, informing workers and volunteers about the newest trends in drug markets. Among the latest developments are counterfeit pills that masquerade as doctor-prescribed medications like oxycodone but really contain fentanyl.
One of PreventEd鈥檚 recent seminars was held at the Community Action Agency of 狐狸视频 County in Overland, one of the areas that鈥檚 been hardest hit by overdose deaths in recent years. Others include north 狐狸视频 County cities such as Normandy and Jennings.
鈥淭his is a safe space that (people) feel comfortable coming, or if they feel comfortable coming here on behalf of a relative, then we see that as our duty to provide this resource to them,鈥 Linda Huntspon, CEO of CAASTLC, said of her organization.
In addition to training, PreventEd introduced Naloxbox, a case filled with naloxone that will hang in easy-to-reach areas inside CAASTLC locations.
In all, 狐狸视频 County has recorded 3,414 drug deaths from 2014 to 2022. Opioids were involved in 69% of those.
Since 2020, the University of Missouri-狐狸视频 has supplied more than 60,000 naloxone kits to the 狐狸视频 region.
鈥淥ur goal has been and continues to be to saturate Missouri鈥檚 hardest hit areas with naloxone,鈥 said Rachel Winograd, director of the Addiction Science Team at UMSL. 鈥淲e have reached some of the numbers that would suggest that our distribution efforts are impacting community-wide overdose numbers.鈥
狐狸视频 County is also working to track nonfatal overdoses, which provide officials with a better understanding of where drug use is most prevalent.
鈥淲e鈥檙e in the midst of establishing a website so that we can provide nonfatal overdose data on a regular basis,鈥 Broadus said. 鈥淲e have a goal of making it at least quarterly, and then if possible making it monthly.鈥
The county has tried to collect nonfatal overdose numbers before, but the information was not as detailed, Broadus said. Now, thanks to a new partnership with area hospitals, they expect to get the information more quickly.
Nonfatal overdose statistics can provide a benefit in allocating resources, but the numbers may never be completely accurate.
In 2021, the county reported having 193 nonfatal overdoses a month. But this number may be incomplete because of events that are simply not reported.
鈥淥nly a fraction of overdose events results in a call to 911,鈥 said Winograd. 鈥淎nd of those, when first responders respond, only a fraction of them accept transport to a hospital.鈥
Even with the 鈥淕ood Samaritan Law鈥 鈥 which was signed into law by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens in 2017 鈥 that protects people from prosecution of possession of a controlled substance if they call 911 for someone experiencing an overdose, some people just do not reach out for help.
Officials also credit resources like medication-assisted treatment providers 鈥 programs that combine medication with substance abuse counseling 鈥 with helping the decrease. In all, there are 136 MAT providers in 狐狸视频 County.
Some of the common medications used at MAT facilities are buprenorphine and methadone, which are opioids themselves but are used to try to wean opioid addicts off the heavily addictive substance. Some may need to be on these medications for life.
鈥淚 have hypertension. It鈥檚 a chemical imbalance,鈥 Huntspon said, the CEO of CAASTLC. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 the same as drug addiction. ... You can take your medication every day, I can take my medication every day, or if somebody had diabetes, same thing. If it鈥檚 a sickness, and they make medication to treat it, then we should try that.鈥
Access to either one of those medications can reduce the risk of a fatal overdose by up to 80%, Winograd said, of UMSL.
And while the numbers may show a downward trend, the impact remains very real for many 狐狸视频ans.
Receptionist Robin Bryson works in the main offices of CAASTL, and she recently lost a relative to a drug overdose.
鈥淢y cousin just died (from an overdose). ... He got out of rehab six days ago,鈥 Bryson said.
And in May, her sister鈥檚 father suffered an overdose too.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need to look very far and find family members or friends who have been impacted by overdoses,鈥 Huntspon said.