In the greater Prince William County area, overdose cases more than doubled among Black and brown people between 2017 and 2023, according to a new study.
“The opioid overdose has traditionally been a Caucasian or white person issue but that’s not what we’re seeing in today’s opioid crisis,” said Kirstin Sievers, community engagement specialist for the Prince William Health District.
The health district, which is part of the Virginia Department of Health, investigated overdose cases and deaths in the region, which includes Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Route 1 corridor hit hard
“In the Hispanic community alone, there’s been a 500% increase in drug-related injuries, which is astronomical,” Sievers said.
Among Black people, there was a 273% increase and there was a 106% increase among white people in the region.
Sievers said the Route 1 corridor was hit the hardest.
“Almost twice as many drug overdoses are happening on the east end of the county, as opposed to the west,” she said.
When it comes to age groups, the 30- to 39-year-old group accounted for the most overdose cases, but the problem is skewing younger.
“There’s a huge burden happening within the young adult population, so that 20-to-25 age group has grown tremendously, and they have a harder time engaging in treatment,” she said.
‘Chilling insight’
In total, the region saw 454 people lose their lives to an overdose between 2017 and 2023.
Sievers also said data concerning where overdoses are happening is telling, as is who is around victims at the time they overdose. The study found that 66% of people who overdosed did so at home and 79% of them had a bystander present.
“That meant that someone was in the home, someone was within a certain amount of feet away from an individual who was unfortunately expiring based off of the opioids in their system,” she said.
The study also found an increase in children overdosing by getting their hands on drugs around the home.
And in what Sievers called “the most chilling insight,” the report also found one in four deaths was witnessed by a child.
“These are all children under the age of 14,” she said.
High costs
The study also found the high costs associated with hospitalizations associated with opioid use disorder, with more than $3 million spent in 2022 alone. Also, $1.03 million was spent to treat infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome, which is result of being exposed to drugs while in the womb.
All the information, according to Sievers, will help the region better understand the situation and get help and resources that areas that need them.
“Prince William region is really working on creating low-barrier access to either medication assisted therapy or other … services, whether it’s treatment, rehab, group therapy, we’re really trying to close those gaps in care,” she said.
Also, despite most overdoses occurring with a bystander present, only a third of victims received naloxone. She said this shows a need to encourage everyone to carry the opioid overdose reversal drug.
“You never know when you’re going to come across an incident where you could save someone’s life,” she said.
Removing the stigma
She also said a stigma exists, which makes those in need of help less likely to ask for it. That, she said, needs to be addressed.
“I think it’s really important to stress that people should get educated, that they should check on their neighbors, that they should recognize that addiction is not a moral failing. It is a disease that people are really fighting for their lives to get through,” Sievers said.
She said while there is more funding coming in to help in this fight, even more will be needed.
“There’s always a greater need than what we have funding for, but we, we will find a will and find a way,” she said.
The numbers showed a dramatic spike in cases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sievers said a light improvement has been seen in year-to-year overdose numbers since then.
“We’re not yet at pre-pandemic levels for fatalities or nonfatal overdoses, but we are beginning to see a slight decline in our region, as well as across the state of Virginia,” she said.
In presenting these findings, the state also plans to hold a listening session in which residents can weigh in on possible solutions to the crisis.
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