October 16, 2024
Nationwide, public health practitioners are noticing hopeful trends in data pertaining to opioid-related overdose deaths and emergency service incidents. Opioid-related fatal overdoses, emergency room visits, and ambulance interventions are declining. This encouraging news is due to several factors, including the more widespread availability of naloxone, changes in the contents of illicitly produced drugs, and efforts to reduce stigma and improve access to recovery programming.
The Massachusetts Department of Health (MDPH) maintains timely dashboards relating to prescriptions, emergency medical service events, and other opioid-related metrics, in addition to publishing biannual opioid reports. Data included in the June 2024 report, of which some is preliminary, suggest that MetroWest communities mirror the nationwide trends.
For the most current data by municipality, please visit the MDPH Opioid Statistics and Overdose page.