Opioid overdose deaths drop in Missouri

New data released by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services shows the number of opioid overdose deaths in the state declined in 2019 for the first time in five years.

In 2019, 1,094 Missourians died as a result of opioid overdoses, down 3.4% from the state’s 1,132 deaths in 2018.

There was a 35% increase in Missouri’s opioid death rate between 2015 and 2016, followed by a 5% increase in 2017 and a 19% jump in 2018.

“We are encouraged by the decline and it shows a lot of hard work by many people in collaboration throughout Missouri,” DHSS director Dr. Randall Williams said in a statement. “But it’s important to remember when looking at data that behind every number is a person and their unique story. One overdose death is too many.”

Although the state’s overall opioid overdose fatality rate declined last year, black males experienced a 15% increase in deaths, resulting in an rate of 72.15 deaths per 100,000, almost four times higher than last year’s statewide rate of 18.82 opioid overdose deaths per 100,000.

White male opioid overdose deaths decreased 12% last year, but they still had the second-highest rate of 20.36 deaths per 100,000. The opioid overdose death rate among black females dropped 15% in 2019, resulting in a fatality rate of 17.69 deaths per 100,000. Meanwhile, the fatality rate for white females showed almost no change between 2018 and 2019 and remained the lowest of the race/gender groups at 11.31 opioid-related deaths per 100,000.

Nearly half of Missouri’s opioid overdose fatalities last year happened in St. Louis city and St. Louis County, according to DHSS data. In St. Louis city and St. Louis County, there were a combined 512 opioid overdose deaths in 2019, accounting for 47% of the state’s total, roughly the same percentage as the city and county’s total of statewide deaths in 2018.

Combined with St. Charles and Jefferson counties, the St. Louis region had 686 opioid overdose deaths last year, which was 63% of the state’s total, down from 739, or 65%, in 2018.

Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released statistics showing a 3% increase in the nation’s opioid death rate for the 12-month period ending in November 2019 compared to the same 12-month period ending in November 2018.

Totaling 46,802, opioid overdoses accounted for more than two-thirds of the nation’s overdose deaths in 2018, according to the CDC. Last year’s 3% increase brought the nation’s opioid overdose fatality total to more than 48,000.

In Southeast Missouri, DHSS reported the following opioid death totals for 2018 and 2019:

COUNTY 2018 2019 Total

Bollinger 0 0 0

Butler 8 4 12

Cape Girardeau 2 3 5

Dunklin 1 0 1

Mississippi 2 1 3

New Madrid 2 0 2

Pemiscot 0 1 1

Perry 1 0 1

Scott 2 3 5

Stoddard 1 0 1

Wayne 1 0 1

TOTALS 20 12 32

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