PROVIDENCE — Coming off some of the deadliest years on record for drug overdoses in the state, Rhode Island finally saw its first decline in fatalities in five years, according to data released by the state Department of Health on July 10.
Fentanyl and other opioids are continuing to drive these fatalities, totaling about 85 percent of all fatal overdoses in Rhode Island in 2023.
The number of drug overdose deaths in the state rose sharply starting in 2019, largely because of a more lethal drug supply — including the rise of fentanyl use. In 2023, there were 404 people who died due to overdose in Rhode Island, compared to 436 deaths in 2022 and 435 in 2021. That means Rhode Island saw a 7.3 percent decrease from 2022 to 2023 among all fatal overdoses. Opioid-involved deaths decreased by 4 percent.
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The prevalent use of fentanyl in Rhode Island tracks with national data, which shows drug overdose deaths rose from 2019 to 2022. Of the 110,000 people in the United States who died from an overdose in 2022, about 70 percent were caused by fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Compared to other parts of New England, Maine had the largest decrease in fatal overdoses, a 16.2 percent drop between 2022 and 2023. New Hampshire saw an 11.7 percent decline, and Connecticut had an 8.3 percent drop over the same period.
Massachusetts and Vermont only report on opioid-related overdose fatalities, and saw 9.8 percent and 4.1 percent decreases, respectively.
Nationally, overdose deaths decreased by 3 percent between 2022 and 2023.
The Governor’s Overdose Task Force, a coalition of professionals and community members who help guide drug overdose prevention and intervention activities in the state, announced the findings during a meeting on July 10.
“I still see the faces of my patients who have passed,” said Dr. Philip Chan, a task force member and medical consultant at the Rhode Island Health Department, who underscored that each overdose represents a person and loved ones having to grieve their death.
Woonsocket had the highest rates of fatal overdoses across the state in 2023, with nearly 68 deaths per 100,000 people. The northern Rhode Island city was followed by Providence (more than 53 overdoses per 100,000 people), Pawtucket (nearly 47 per 100,000 people), and East Providence (nearly 32 per 100,000).
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The data also shows that the number of deaths began to fall in the middle of 2023, which the governor and health officials credited to “a whole-of-government approach” and outreach efforts. The state’s overdose response, coordinated by the Governor’s Overdose Task Force, is built around efforts in prevention, rescue and harm reduction, treatment, and recovery.
Approximately 58 percent of fatal overdoses involved cocaine. The health department said when a fatal overdose involved cocaine and another substance (such as fentanyl), it is unclear whether the polysubstance use was intentional or if that person unknowingly used cocaine and another substance.
Those who died were disproportionately men between the ages of 25 and 54 years old. This data has been consistent for the last several years. Men represented 69 percent of all fatal overdoses in Rhode Island.
The rate of overdose deaths decreased by 11 percent among Black Rhode Islanders. Despite that decrease, overdose deaths among them remained higher than that of white Rhode Islanders. The rate of overdose deaths decreased by 15 percent among Hispanic Rhode Islanders. Regardless of race or ethnicity, however, the highest number of fatal overdoses occurred in Providence, according to the data.
The proportion of fatal overdoses involving prescription drugs alone has decreased from 62 percent in 2009 to 8 percent in 2023, according to Heidi Weidele, the health department’s lead fatal overdose epidemiologist. Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic usually prescribed for anxiety and depression, had been named as an “emerging substance of concern.” But in Rhode Island in 2023, fewer than five fatal overdoses were due to the use of ketamine.
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Among individuals who fatally overdosed in the first six months of 2023, 72 percent did not have any known history of treatment for substance use. About 17 percent had been going through treatment at the time of overdosing.
Approximately 85 percent of people who experienced an overdose from January to June 2023 had no history of experiencing a prior medically attended overdose. That means for most of those decedents, their first overdose was a fatal overdose.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.