Hamilton County Health Department has released the 2023 Drug Overdose Surveillance Report.
From Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2023, the total number of suspected drug-related deaths is 205. This includes suspected acute overdoses and suspected deaths resulting from chronic drug abuse. The report said 97 percent were from acute drug overdose, versus three percent from chronic drug abuse. It said 95 percent were by accident, two percent by natural causes and two percent by suicide.
Listed as the cause of death, Fentanyl was responsible for 70 percent of the deaths.
The age groups from suspected drug-related deaths was: three percent, 20 and under; 16 percent, 21-30; 27 percent, 31-40; 28 percent, 41-50; 14 percent, 51-60; 10 percent, 61-70 and two percent were 71 and older.
Of the suspected deaths, 66 percent were male and 34 percent were female. Seventy-seven percent were white, 22 percent were black and one percent were unknown.
The report also included the total number of suspected overdose-related emergency department visits and that was 2,069. That number includes all emergency department visits for suspected overdoses of any drug.
Of those cases, 55 percent were male and 45 percent were female. The age groups from overdose-related emergency department visits was: 16 percent, 20 and under; 17 percent, 21-30; 21 percent, 31-40; 14 percent, 41-50; 10 percent, 51-60; nine percent, 61-70; nine percent were 71 and older and three percent age unknown.
All suspected drug-related deaths and suspected overdose-related emergency department visit data in this report are provisional, meaning that it is the best current estimate available and is subject to change as data is confirmed over time.
This data does not represent official counts and is used as a way to conduct regular syndromic surveillance of suspected overdoses in Hamilton County. Final data will be available after it undergoes a rigorous verification process. Provisional data is useful to understand the impact of the overdose epidemic on our community and inform resource allocation.