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The St. Louis County Department of Public Health (DPH) has released a report that details drug-poisoning deaths in St. Louis County from 2010 through 2014. The report shows that the highest rate of heroin deaths is found among young men age 25 to 44 years, who have a heroin death rate more than twice the county average.

“The data is alarming,” stated County Executive Steve Stenger. “There is a clear upward trend, which is why NOW is the time to act to reverse these numbers and we are doing just that.”

Dr. Faisal Khan, County Health Department director, added, “This isn’t a problem taking place in one or two isolated parts of the county, but all over. Although some areas are more affected than others, heroin knows no boundaries of geography, race, or income level. The solution must be comprehensive.”

The report breaks out the heroin-related deaths by both county region and by zip code. Twenty-four of the county’s 48 zip codes have rates higher than the county as a whole, and 35 have rates higher than the average in the Midwest.

Also included in the report is the DPH Action Plan to combat heroin use. It includes eight action steps DPH is taking to address the issue. The report detailing the extent of the problem is of one of those steps.

“We first need to make people aware of the extent of the problem, which this report is designed to do,” said Dr. Khan.

In addition to the informational campaign, the report’s Action Plan also calls for the following:

• Passage and implementation of a prescription drug monitoring program
• Expansion of the availability and use of Narcan during overdose interventions
• Promotion of drug take-back programs and events
• Promotion of prescriber guidelines to help avoid opiate abuse
• Participation in and the promotion of community collaborations to increase opportunities for intervention

The full report can be viewed at: http://www.stlouisco.com/Portals/8/docs/Health/Health%20Data/Heroin%20Deaths%20Profile%2022416%20FINAL.pdf

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