IN PLATTE COUNTY, TWICE WHAT THEY WERE JUST THREE YEARS AGO
Similar to communities across America, drug overdose deaths are significantly impacting Platte County.
Tom Petrizzo, chief executive officer of Beacon Mental Health (formerly Tri-County Mental Health), said drug overdose deaths in Platte County more than doubled in 2023 compared to three years prior in 2020.
The number of drug overdose deaths in the county recently peaked at 268 over a 12-month period.
Data shows, on average, 22 people suffered overdose deaths each month in Platte County from June 2022 through June 2023, up from an average of 10 a month in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The situation reveals just how much of an impact the pandemic had on mental health, said Petrizzo. Many people suffered financial and emotional hardships during the pandemic, which led some people to self-medicate.
“We know from research that the Covid pandemic and the social isolation of sheltering at home exacerbated mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and trauma. It led people to utilize more alcohol and drugs to deal with the symptoms,” said Petrizzo.
Drug use can be a function of the depression and anxiety some people experience due to the stress of the pandemic. Instead of seeking professional behavioral health treatment, some people sought relief using street drugs.
White males are the most impacted race-gender group in Platte County when it comes to opioid and synthetic opioid overdoses.
“What has happened in Platte County has also been a national trend,” said Petrizzo. “Since 2020, the number of drug overdose deaths nationwide has gone up 35 to 40 percent.”
The most recent data available shows there were 106,363 reported overdose deaths nationwide over the 12 months ending in August 2023. The deaths were caused by overdoses of prescription opioids, heroin, synthetic opioids, or a cocktail of two or more drugs.
“From 2011 to 2021, overdose deaths nationwide increased five-fold, said Petrizzo. “It went from 1.5 per hundred thousand in 2011 to 7.3 per hundred thousand in 2021.”
The risks of fentanyl contamination of illegal drugs has also played a role in the overdose crisis, as it can put people at a greater risk for overdose.
Fentanyl has become more prevalent as an illicitly manufactured opioid and has made the overdose crisis more deadly. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. Hoping to induce addictions, drug dealers mix it into counterfeit pills of oxycodone, Xanax, and Adderall.
Users are often unaware their counterfeit pills and street drugs, including gummies or marijuana, are laced with fentanyl.
“When someone utilizes marijuana or some other drug and does not realize it is laced with fentanyl, they can overdose,” Petrizzo warns. “Others choose to use fentanyl because the stimulating effect is so significant, and they become addicted to it. Over time users can become tolerant to the effects of the drug and amp up the amount they ingest to gain a greater euphoria.”
This sequence of events can lead to an overdose.
“Sometimes, users go into recovery and gradually stop using opioids. But then six months later they have a relapse, and they take the amount they used to take, but their body is no longer conditioned for that level of dosage, and they have an overdose reaction.”
While fentanyl has been found in street drugs for more than a decade, overdose deaths related to fentanyl have recently surged.
To combat this growing trend, there is a big push to supply schools, police departments, hospitals, and pharmacies with Narcan, a nasal spray medicine that can reverse a drug overdose and restore normal breathing in a person.
Last summer, the Kansas City Missouri Police Department equipped all of its patrol and detention officers with Narcan. Officers received training on how to administer the overdose reversal medication. The Narcan/Naloxone kits were supplied by grant funding from the University of Missouri-St. Louis-Missouri Institute of Mental Health.
Aaron Smullin, public information officer with the Platte County Health Department, said Platte County residents can obtain Narcan from the Platte County Health Department, located at 7925 NW 110th Street, Kansas City in Platte County.
“It is free for people to pick up with no questions asked. All they have to do is report to the front desk and say they need Narcan. The medication comes in a bag and contains information on how to use it.”
Good Samaritan Laws do protect people who witness an overdose and act to reverse it by administering a dose of Narcan or calling 9-1-1 for assistance.
Narcan is non-harmful, even if it is administered to someone who is not suffering from an overdose, said Petrizzo.
“Anyone can request Narcan via the following link at no cost https://getmonaloxone.com/ It is also available over the counter for purchase at the pharmacy,” said Lisa Cox, communications director of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Cox said, “The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services supports comprehensive overdose and substance abuse prevention through statewide collaboration and supporting local prevention efforts.”
For individuals who are struggling with substance abuse, health experts encourage them to get help with their addiction by reaching out to Beacon Mental Health for assistance.
“We have substance use treatment folks and behavioral health treatment professionals available to assist,” said Petrizzo. “Our doctors can prescribe Vivitrol, and Suboxone to help curb a user’s cravings. These medications are used in concert with other recovery treatments including group meetings and programs.”
Health experts believe it is important to remind family and friends that it is never safe to take a medication that was not prescribed to them.