Opioid Prescribing Guidelines
We are facing a crisis in overdose deaths in Philadelphia and around the country. In 2014, more than 47,000 people in the United States died of drug overdoses, more than double the number of fatal drug overdoses in 2000. In Philadelphia, this growth has been particularly stark over the last two years: Fatal drug overdoses increased by more than 50 percent from 2013 through 2015, from approximately 459 deaths to approximately 702. In 2015, there were more than twice as many deaths from drug overdose in Philadelphia as there were from homicide. Eighty percent of these overdose deaths involved opioids.
The City, including the Department of Public Health and the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, are using several approaches to reduce opioid overdoses. This page contains resources and guidance for healthcare providers on limiting use of prescription opioids and avoiding adverse consequences.