Fentanyl overdose deaths in Pima County dropping

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - In the fight against opioid and fentanyl deaths, there is some good news to report.

A combined effort by the city of Tucson and the Pima County Health Department announced at this time last year, is likely paying dividends.

There have been 142 fentanyl deaths this year but there were 276 on this date in 2023.

“We’ve had upwards of a decade’s worth of data,” said Mark Person, a program director with the Pima County Health Department. “And have never seen a decrease like this.”

While it can be described as a substantial drop, the battle is far from over, but it shows the current strategy is having an impact.

“There’s a few more months left in the year so, it’s going to change a little bit but there’s no doubt we’re going to see a significant decrease,” Person said.

There is a decrease nationwide in the number of fentanyl deaths, but in most places, the drop is not as significant as in Tucson and Pima County.

Last year, the Health Director Dr. Theresa Cullen outlined a strategy for both governments to follow which included plans on ways to spend $12.5 million from the opioid settlement fund to fight the scourge.

“Fiscal resources are not enough to get us out of the current situation,” Cullen told the mayor and council. “It will require us to work collaboratively together and try to envision new ways and additional ways to address this problem.”

One of those ways was to make Narcan available everywhere to help reverse the fatal effects of an overdose.

The idea was to have it available just about everywhere.

In the home, in pharmacies, in vending machines, in stores, in medical cabinets, with first responders, with social workers and with extended family members if there would be a chance of an overdose.

It’s likely one reason the past year has been as successful as it’s being touted.

“There’s been countless lives saved so there’s no doubt that it has made an impact,” Person said. “Do I think it’s that by itself, no.”

On Wednesday, the city will get an update from the county health department on what else made the difference.

The council will also hear there’s more work to be done, but for the time being, maybe it’s time for a pat on the back.

“It is finally time to kind of pause and look back on the work that we’ve done and celebrate,” he said. “We always do that with caution.”

Caution because who knows what 2025 will bring.

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