Drug Overdose Number Likely to Set Records in Pa. County

Jan. 05--The number of drug overdose deaths in Allegheny County last year will likely surpass the record set one year earlier, substance abuse experts said Monday.

The county had 304 fatal overdoses through Dec. 1, according to the medical examiner's office. There were 307 deaths in 2014.

Officials say it could be weeks before the 2015 figures are finalized. The cause of death is pending in several cases and will not be determined until the results of toxicology tests are available.

The leading cause of fatal overdoses was heroin, with 176 confirmed deaths through December. The county had 157 heroin deaths in 2014, according to the medical examiner's office.

"This is an incredible epidemic," said Neil Capretto, medical director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center. "The numbers are going up because so many people are using. And those who are using are using more than ever."

When Capretto began treating substance abuse in 1985, the county had 22 overdose deaths. The number rose to 104 in 1998.

"That's when Oxycontin started to come in, and it spread like an infectious disease," Capretto said.

In 2002, the total reached 210. Capretto said 2014 was the first time the county had more than 300 fatal overdoses.

"The numbers are bad no matter how you look at it," he said. "I said that last year, and it's even worse this year."

The story is much the same across the region. Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha said Monday his office anticipates a record 125 overdose deaths occurred in 2015 compared to the 87 then-record number recorded in 2014.

"And, unfortunately, it doesn't presently show any signs of slowing down. Throughout last year, we held a steady pace," Bacha said.

Armstrong County Coroner Brian Myers said his office processed a record 29 fatal overdoses in 2015. The previous record was 17, set in 2014.

Bacha doesn't believe the epidemic will subside until rules and laws are implemented to curb "doctor shopping" for prescription pain medications.

Dirk Matson, co-chairman of Westmoreland County's drug overdose task force, believes that improved public education is needed for physicians prescribing pain medications, but the state budget impasse also delayed planned expansion of the state prescription monitoring data base.

Matson said the new law would expand a limited state database to include many common prescriptions. By accessing the database, health advocates anticipate doctors and pharmacists would be better able to stop "doctor shopping" in which one person goes to multiple doctors to obtain the same prescription.

Capretto is hopeful that the availability of the overdose reversal drug Narcan will drive down the number of fatal overdoses.

In May, the Allegheny County Health Department issued a standing order for Narcan, allowing any pharmacy in the county to dispense the drug without a prescription.

"We cannot incarcerate our way out of this problem," Capretto said. "We need to look at this as a public health issue."

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