October 10, 2022
Hospitalizations for opioid overdose decreased about 27 percent from 2016 to 2021, according to a new report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4).
The research brief evaluates the number of people who were admitted to a Pennsylvania acute care hospital for an opioid overdose, but does not track patients who were treated with naloxone or cared for in an emergency setting.
The number of hospital overdoses has had minimal change since 2018, other than a small increase coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the authors note.
“The findings in this new report shed light on the status of Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic over several years and emphasize the decrease in hospitalizations for opioid overdose since 2016,” said Barry Buckingham, PHC4’s executive director.
Here’s what you need to know:
“While these results show decreases in the inpatient treatment of opioid overdoses in Pennsylvania, care provided in other settings such as emergency departments or by first responders may show different patterns,” Buckingham said.
HAP continues to advocate for resources that bolster access to behavioral health care across the commonwealth. This includes efforts to grow our behavioral health workforce, promote easier access to mental health services, and remove barriers to care.
Learn more about our behavioral health advocacy.
The PHC4 report is available online.
Tags: Public Health | Behavioral Health
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