CDC projects drop in overdose deaths in Ohio

Ohio will see its first drop in overdose deaths since the opioid epidemic started, if early national estimates are correct (Source: “Ohio likely to see first overdose death drop ever, CDC estimates,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 17, 2019).

Estimates show that Ohio's accidental overdose deaths will number 4,002 in 2018, down from 5,135 in 2017, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday. That's about a 22% drop.

The CDC released the estimates for 2018 on Wednesday, noting that the counts are predicted, rather than actual, because not every county has turned in all its data.

In 2017, the United States saw 70,237 accidental drug overdose deaths. The CDC's data shows a 5.1% total drop in the deaths nationwide from 2017 to 2018. Ohio suffered the second-highest overdose death rate in the country in 2017, behind only West Virginia. The main culprit has been the synthetic opiate fentanyl for the past few years.

To learn more about Ohio’s policy response to the addiction crisis and find out about evidence informed strategies to address the issue, see HPIO’s Addiction Evidence Project. Addiction is also listed as one of Ohio’s greatest health challenges in HPIO’s 2019 Health Value Dashboard.