Overdose deaths decline in Pa. and local counties
By JEFF STITT
jstitt@yourmvi.com
Preliminary data released Tuesday by the State Department of Health show Pennsylvania saw a slight decrease in drug overdose deaths in 2019.
As long as the numbers don’t spike, 2019 could be the second consecutive year the number has dropped.
The DOH numbers show 4,348 people died in Pennsylvania from drug overdoses last year, a 1.7% decrease from 2018 when the state saw 4,491 deaths.
The figures from 2019 are subject to change as the department awaits information about 62 deaths from county coroners and medical examiners. But it appears the state’s total will continue to decrease, just as it has in Westmoreland County over the last two years.
“It follows exactly what the trend has been here,” said Tim Phillips, director of the Westmoreland County Drug Overdose Task Force. “We’re happy that we have kind of leveled off.”
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