Santa Barbara County sees upward trend in drug-related emergency room visits and deaths

The California Department of Public Health released the 2018 county-level data on emergency room visits and preliminary deaths related to drugs in Santa Barbara County on Friday.

The report found an 55% increase in emergency room visits related to opiods in Santa Barbara County between 2010 and 2018.

It also found 69 drug-related deaths with nearly half, 31 deaths, related to opioids among Santa Barbara County residents.

The report saw Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, having a greater percentage of opioid deaths in recent years.

In 2018, 29% of opioid overdose deaths were related to fentanyl.

According to the CDC, recent cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdose and death in the U.S. are linked to illegally made fentanyl that may be unknowingly mixed with other drugs.

The Public Health Department strongly encourages both medical providers and community members to consider harm reduction strategies.

They suggest evidence-based strategies that are tailored to the needs of those experiencing a substance abuse disorder as a way to locally fight against the opioid epidemic.