RI Sees Some Progress On Accidental Overdose Deaths: Raimondo

CRANSTON, RI—Rhode Island made a bit of progress in 2017 against the opioid epidemic, but more needs to be done, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Tuesday. Between January and June, 208 people died from accidental drug overdoses. Compared to the same period the year before, that total represents a nine percent drop.

"We are cautiously optimistic about the numbers we are releasing today," Raimondo said. But the death toll is still too high. The 2017 total also shows an upward trend when compared to 2015 numbers. (In the first eight months of 2015, 201 people died from overdoses.)

"There is still an enormous amount of work to do to overcome this epidemic," she said. "Every week I am giving a hug to someone else who has lost a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a mom or a dad," she said. "We need to fight against stigma and let people know that there is zero shame in coming out and saying that you need help. Addiction is a disease; recovery is absolutely possible."

Nicole Alexander-Scott, MD, MPH, the state health department's director, said the data indicates Rhode Island should continue to battle this public health crisis.

"The data being announced today suggest that our work to get people into treatment and on the road to recovery is starting to yield results. However, this issue absolutely remains a public health crisis and we must push even harder now in order to see any improvements sustained," she said. "Now is the time to redouble our efforts-everyone has a role to play in beating back this epidemic.

The experts allowed they could not say if any one initiative had made the difference.

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