After years of increases, Jefferson County sees a decline in overdose fatalities
For the first four-and-a-half months of this year, Jefferson County has a seen a decrease of almost 29% in overdose deaths, as compared to the same period last year. Those numbers come from the Jefferson County Coroner’s office and may show a big shift, after years of increases.
Chief Deputy Coroner Bill Yates helps investigate possible overdose deaths. He hopes that downward trend continues, but he’s cautiously optimistic.
“If we’re going to surpass the previous year, we’ll see that trend start in the first quarter of that year,” said Yates. “And so, we’re not seeing at this time. So that is great. So, this is going to be the first time in a few years that we haven’t seen an increase.”
Yates notes that nationally overdose deaths decreased last year by about 5%. However, the state saw an increase of about 8%.
Jefferson County also saw a record-setting number of overdose fatalities last year — an increase of about 10% over 2022 — itself following five consecutive years of increases. All of which are reasons why the decline in numbers so far this year is all the more of an achievement.
“It is really encouraging to see this downward trend,” said Yates.
Dr. Darlene Traffanstadt, medical director with the Jefferson County Department of Health, is hopeful, too, that overdose deaths will remain in decline.
She believes the reason for the decrease is multi-fold. There’s been more funding for anti-addiction efforts, from both federal sources and settlements with opioid manufacturers and distributors. Peer recovery support has improved, and there’s also the overdose-reversing drug Narcan.
“I think Narcan accessibility, Narcan moving from a prescription drug to an over-the-counter drug has greatly increased our capacity to get it out into the community,” she said.
According to Traffanstedt, one reason Narcan is so effective in saving lives is that it’s easy to use. But she doesn’t believe the effort to combat addiction and overdoses is over.
Traffanstedt says illicit fentanyl, the extremely potent synthetic opioid still accounts for about 80% of overdose deaths. Also, new, even more powerful, drugs are hitting the streets.
Looking ahead, she thinks another weapon in the fight is public awareness.
“I think the most important thing is that we remove the stigma around substance use,” she said. “I know very few families that have not been impacted by this at this point in the epidemic.”
Traffanstedt would like to see continued efforts to train people in Alabama about how to save someone from an overdose.
“We need businesses to engage around educating their employees about the availability of Narcan,” she said. “We need people to begin to think about Narcan as a bystander lifesaving intervention, just like AED’s (automatic external defibrillators) and CPR. And so, if there’s an AED in a business, there should be a Narcan kit with it.”
Traffanstedt said the opioid crises remains a public health emergency and the best approach is to fight it as a community.
“We’re very committed to continuing all of the work that is ongoing and continuing to innovate in this space,” she said. “We want to make sure we do not take our foot off the gas pedal.”
Misty Copeland hangs up her pointe shoes after performing at retirement show
Misty Copeland took one last spin on her pointe shoes Wednesday, as she retired after a trailblazing career in which she became an ambassador for diversity in an overwhelmingly white art form.
This nation has the fastest rising rate of cancer cases — and deaths — in the world
According to a new report, cancer rates are skyrocketing in this tiny country. What's causing this to happen? And what steps can be taken to turn the tide?
Iceland reports the presence of mosquitoes for the first time, as climate warms
The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed this week by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight.
Alabama board seeks to ban books that ‘positively’ depict trans themes from library youth sections
The Alabama Public Library Service Board of Directors is considering a proposed rule change that expands the existing requirement for youth sections to be free of “material deemed inappropriate for children.” The new proposal said that includes any material that “positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders.”
After months of the same songs on the Hot 100, ‘Billboard’ tweaks its rules
Billboard has revised its system of removing songs from the Hot 100 singles chart once they've gotten too old to qualify as contemporary hits.
Greetings from an Indian Railways coach, with spectacular views from Mumbai to Goa
Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.