Opioid deaths dropped slightly in Worcester in 2021
Photo | Grant Welker
Worcester City Hall
Opioid-related deaths dropped in Worcester in 2021, as the number of deaths countywide remained virtually the same, according to the latest data released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Wednesday.
Worcester went from 132 opioid related-deaths in 2020 to 123 deaths in 2021, a 7% decrease. The total number of opioid-related deaths in Worcester County remained identical, with 282 deaths.
Overall, Worcetser ranked second in Massachusetts where the highest number of opioid deaths occurred, behind Boston and ahead of Springfield. While both Worcester and Springfield saw mild decreases in the number of deaths, Boston’s total count increased from 311 to 322.
Worcester County ranked fifth overall in 2021 in the number of opioid related deaths, trailing Middlesex, Suffolk, Bristol and Essex Counties. Since 2010, Worcester County ranks third overall in the total number of deaths, just behind Middlesex and Essex Counties.
Other areas in Worcester County with significant opioid related deaths were Leominster with 17 deaths, Athol with 13 deaths; and Fitchburg, Sotuhbridge, and Gardner had 12 deaths apiece.
The total number of deaths in the state for 2021 was 2,290. The opioid-related overdose death rate in Massachusetts increased to 32.6 per 100,000 people as compared to 29.9 per 100,000 in the prior year.
Preliminary data from the first three months of 2022 show there were 551 confirmed and estimated opioid-related overdose deaths, a 4% decrease than the same time last year.
A budget proposal by the Gov. Charlie Baker Administration plans to invest $543.8 million in total funding for a wide range of harm reduction, treatment, and recovery programs that support individuals struggling with substance addiction and programs that work to prevent substance addiction through education, prescription monitoring, and more.
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