Montco, Buck County see declines in fatal drug overdoses. Numbers follow national trends
District Attorney Kevin Steele and Coroner Dr. Janine Darby announced deaths in the county fell from 190 in 2023 to 139 last year, the lowest number since 2011, according to a press release.
The nearly 27% is the steepest one-year decline following a peak of 257 overdose deaths in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over five years, deaths in the county have dropped 46%, according to county data.
More Bucks County News Warminster man accused in drug OD death sees his charges proceed to county court
Bucks County has also seen a dramatic drop in overdose deaths over the last five years, data shows.
Coroner Patti Campi said the unofficial overdose count for 2024 was 115 with a few pending results waiting to be returned. That is a nearly half the number in 2020, when there were 214 overdose deaths.
Most of those deaths were among people between 25 and 44 years old, which accounted for 34% and 25% of deaths respectively, according to Overdose Free Pa. Fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine were the most frequently identified substances cited in deaths.
The decline in overdose deaths in Bucks and Montgomery counties appears to follow a national trend.
The Centers for Disease Control last year reported provisional data from its National Center for Health Statistics showed an estimated 107,543 drug overdose deaths in the United States during 2023 — a decrease of 3% from 2022.
This change was the first year-over-year decrease in drug overdose deaths since 2018.
Montgomery County DA Steele noted in the press release the steps his office has taken to reduce deaths including working with the county to equip all police cars with the opioid reversal drug Naloxone.
Steele has also worked to place MedReturn boxes in nearly all police departments in the county in order to collect unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medications and organized Drug Take Back Days twice a year.
'Far too many families in Montgomery County have suffered the unbearable loss of having a loved one die from overdose,' Steele said. 'And while I'm happy to see the overdose deaths go down significantly in 2024, it's still too many families who have lost a loved one.'
Other factors that have contributed to the falling death rates is the changing nature of street drugs, officials said.
The Drug Enforcement Agency has said tests show the potency of fentanyl pills out of Mexican cartels has fallen. Montgomery County has also seen an increase in other street drugs including cocaine and methamphetamine, officials said.
Darby called the decline encouraging, but that 'every loss is still one too many.'
'As coroner, I see firsthand the toll that overdose deaths take on families,' she said. 'We must continue working together—through education, prevention, and support—to save lives and keep this momentum going."
Reporter Jo Ciavaglia can be reached at jciavaglia@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Montco drug overdose deaths drop to lowest level in more than a decade
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