Tri-Cities opioid overdose deaths skyrocket. You can carry this medicine to save a life

You could save a life and combat skyrocketing opioid overdose deaths in the Tri-Cities area. It just takes carrying a medication available without a prescription, say health officials.

The Benton Franklin Health District and the Washington Poison Center have released information on using naloxone, commonly called by the brand name Narcan, as fentanyl overdoses in particular continue to increase not only locally but across Washington state.

The medication, which is available without a prescription and for free in Washington state, rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.

In Benton and Franklin counties the rate of overdose deaths increased to a high of 23 people per 100,000 in a year in 2020, or about 70 deaths in 2020, an increase in a year of more than 100%.

It dropped slightly in 2021 to a rate of 20 people per 100,000 residents.

But it was still far above the earliest data reported by the Benton Franklin Health District of 6.3 deaths per 100,000 residents in 1993.

Opioid overdose deaths have grown much faster than other overdose deaths.

In 2020 in Benton and Franklin counties the rate was 15.3 people per 100,000, or about 46 people that year. It’s close to triple the number reported in 2004.

Men were nearly twice as likely to die of a drug overdose as women in the Tri-Cities area, with people in their 50s most likely to overdose.

Overdose deaths by job, education

People working in construction, labor and trades were most likely to die of a drug overdose, according to data for the two Tri-Cities counties from 2016 to 2021. The Benton Franklin Health District reported 64 deaths in those occupations over five years.

Food service workers were the next most likely to die of overdoses, with 29 in those years, followed by health care workers.

The increase in overdose deaths in construction, labor and trades workers in the Tri-Cities area jumped 100% and 300% in food service workers in 2020, according to the Benton Franklin Health District.

That was followed by 21 STEM workers; 18 retail and service workers; 14 agriculture workers; 11 auto and automotive industry workers; 10 administration workers and 10 education workers.

In addition there were 39 workers in assorted other industries and 13 unemployed workers.

People who had never married appeared to be over represented in overdose deaths, with 117 people who had never married dying by overdose in the Tri-Cities area over five years, followed by 81 people who were divorced.

The number of people with a high school diploma, a GED or who had not completed high school also was high, numbering 158, compared to 46 people with at least a two-year college degree.

The Benton Franklin Health District has more statistics about overdose deaths on a new data dashboard posted at bfhd.wa.gov under the data dashboard link of its Data & Reports section.

WA Poison Center advice

The Washington Poison Center says that from 2019 to 2021 the number of patient calls involving fentanyl increaded 308% from 36 to 147 calls.

The calls in 2022 have already surpassed 2021, with 466 calls projected by the end of the year.

“As fentanyl overdose continues to increase, it is essential for everyone to know how to help individuals who are overdosing,” the center said in a statement.

Fentanyl is an opioid, or narcotic, made in the laboratory that can be 50 to 100 times stronger than other opioids like heroin, oxycodone and morphine, according to the poison center.

It is a prescription drug developed to manage the pain of cancer patients undergoing treatment. But it is also manufactured illicitly and may be added to other street drugs such as oxycodone, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine.

People taking the drugs may not realize they contain fentanyl, which can be toxic in small amounts.

An overdose caused by fentanyl or other opioids can be stopped with naloxone, which can be purchased at pharmacies in Washington state without a prescription.

Tips for using Narcan

It also is available for free mail delivery to your home at bit.ly/WAFreeNaloxone, although people who can easily get it at pharmacies are asked to do that instead.

In the Tri-Cities area it is sold for about $50 to $100, according to GoodRx. But it is covered by Medicaid and many health insurance plans.

A person who is overdosing on opioids, including fentanyl, will not wake up, has blue or gray tinged skin and breathes slowly or not at all, according to the Washington Poison Center.

When responding to an opioid overdose, the center recommends calling 911 and then administering naloxone, which is available as a nasal spray. More than one dose may be needed.

After administering naloxone, wipe any visible powder residue off the lips and start rescue breathing until help arrives. Wear gloves if you have them and wash your hands afterward.

Despite misinformation circulating on sources from the Internet to TV shows, the risk of overdosing from touching fentanyl, inhaling airborne fentanyl dust or inhaling secondhand fentanyl spoke is extremely low, according to Washington Poison Control.

Smoked fentanyl does not linger in the air and rescue breathing will not put the responder at risk of overdose, it says.

This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 12:59 PM.