City of Philadelphia
Read the full report at Inquirer.com
Drug overdose deaths are dropping significantly among Black Philadelphians, a community particularly hard-hit by the overdose crisis in recent years, a new city analysis of drug-related deaths in 2024 has found.
For a second straight year, drug fatalities decreased across the city. But communities of color in Philadelphia are still at the highest risk for overdose, health officials warned. And deaths involving stimulants like cocaine and methamphetamine are increasing even while deaths involving opioids decrease.
“Overdoses are not going down for everyone,” said Daniel Teixeira da Silva, director of the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction at the Philadelphia health department. “These data suggest we need to broaden our approach to the overdose crisis.”
Black Philadelphians, who since 2021 have experienced the highest numbers of overdoses in the city, saw a 27% drop in fatal overdoses in 2024. Overdoses dropped 26% among Hispanic Philadelphians and 4% for white Philadelphians, the city’s analysis shows.
Read the full report at Inquirer.com