New Report Seeks To Explore Role Of Race And Trauma In Opioid Overdose Deaths In Philadelphia

Racism, childhood trauma, and the COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically affected opioid overdose deaths in Philadelphia, and must be considered as part of the city Health Department’s efforts to curtail rising overdose deaths, according to a new city report.

The inaugural OD Stat report summarizes findings of a panel of public health experts who reviewed in depth 22 individual overdose death cases in an effort to identify and address gaps in services. Though a small sample of the 1,214 people who died of an overdose in Philadelphia in 2020, the findings provide valuable insight to the experience of individuals in active addiction.

“We go to great lengths when we’re choosing cases to identify different people, from locations all around the city, different age groups and socioeconomic status,” said Zoe Soslow, OD Stat’s central administrator. “Across the board we see a lot of trauma.”

Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer